Mrazek makes his return to the crease after missing the team's last 31 games with a right thumb injury, which he suffered on Jan. 30 in the first period of a game against Dallas, of all teams. Mrazek underwent surgery shortly after and has since been steadily working his way back into action.
LINEUP: STARS vs. HURRICANES
Mrazek made
43 saves on 45 shots in a conditioning start
with the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves on Thursday, April 1.
"It was a good test," Mrazek said later that evening. "A lot of shots. It's better to have more than less, especially after two months."
"He played really big for them in the second period. I thought he looked really calm," Canes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder said. "He was good in traffic and controlled his movements well. It was a good game for him to come back and play."
Mrazek had a dynamite start to his 2020-21 season, recording two shutouts in his first three starts, a 0.99 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage.
