Raanta continues 'harnessing the moment' with Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. --Antti Raanta knew that in order to give the Carolina Hurricanes a chance against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Second Round he would have to play perfect, or at least close to it, because that's what Rangers' goalie Igor Shesterkin was going to do, too.

"You get a little more on your toes when you know the other goalie is the tops in the league," Raanta said regarding Shesterkin, who is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the NHL's top goaltender.
Raanta was perfect in Game 2 with 21 saves in a 2-0 win at PNC Arena on Friday. Carolina's goalie has been perfect on 45 shots since allowing a goal early in the first period of Game 1.
His shutout streak is up to 116:05 and the Hurricanes are up 2-0 in the best-of-7 series going into Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Sunday. The Hurricanes have scored four goals, three on Shesterkin and one into an empty net, and Raanta has made it stand up.
"I just think it's pretty remarkable what he's done," Carolina defenseman Brendan Smith said. "Coming in and harnessing the moment, stepping in and playing the way he is, it's phenomenal."
Raanta wasn't supposed to be in the spotlight in a Hurricanes' playoff run. That was supposed to be Frederik Andersen, an All-Star this season who was second in the NHL, behind Shesterkin, with a 2.17 goals-against average.
Andersen, though, is still rehabbing a lower-body injury he sustained on April 16 and isn't expected to return in this series.
If Raanta keeps going the way he is, and the Hurricanes keep winning, there's no guarantee Andersen will get back in the net if and when he is healthy enough to play.
"Your immediate action when you lose your goalie, your No. 1 guy who this year was one of the best goalies in the League, that's a kick. That's not something you want heading into the best time of the year," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "But we had seen enough of 'Raants' that he had been solid. I don't know that we anticipated him to be better since he's played in the playoffs, but we certainly had a lot of confidence in his ability."
Raanta, 33, certainly had confidence, too, but he had to prove to himself that he could do it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, considering his only prior postseason experience had been five relief appearances.
He did in the first round, when he won three of six starts against the Boston Bruins, posting a 2.37 GAA and .927 save percentage. He's up to five wins with a 1.83 GAA and .939 save percentage after two games against the Rangers.
"When you haven't gotten the chance to play in [the playoffs] you're always questioning yourself like, 'What if I get the chance to play?'" Raanta said after Game 1. "Now it's been a lot of fun to play. I feel like as the first round went on, I started to get more comfortable and now the stakes are getting higher and higher, but you're just trusting your own thing and it's been working."
He hasn't changed his routine because he's starting every game now. Instead, Raanta said the fact that he knows he's going to be in the net for every game has allowed him to get into a rhythm that he rarely found in his backup role during the regular season.
"Sometimes when you're waiting for a couple of weeks to go to the next game your mind starts playing games and you're a little bit questioning yourself," Raanta said. "Now, it's just taking care of your body on the off days and getting ready for the game again."
Ironically, Raanta's two seasons with the Rangers from 2015-17 are part of the reason why he's been able to handle the moment he's in now.
Raanta credited his time with former Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and how much he learned through his actions, particularly in practice, about what it takes to be a top goalie who always gives his team a chance to win.
Lundqvist was notorious for his battle level in practice and how much he hated giving up a goal. Smith, who played with Lundqvist in New York from 2017-20, even spoke about that after the game Friday, saying Lundqvist's determination likely wore off on Raanta, who was quick to agree.
"It was eye-opening for me," Raanta said. "Every year he was one of the best goalies and I was like, 'This is the reason why he is the best goalie.' He was always working. He was always trying to get better."
Raanta also brought up Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire, who molded Lundqvist into what he became, a likely Hall of Famer, and is doing the same with Shesterkin.
"'Benny' in New York is one of the best in the League as a goalie coach and as a human being," Raanta said.
Five years later, Raanta has finally gotten his chance in the spotlight, his own net in the playoffs, and he's using what he learned from the Rangers against them.
He has been almost perfect. No surprise, he's had to be.
"It's just great to see," Carolina center Sebastian Aho said. "The team gets a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence in their own play when you see your goalie playing at that level, and he's been unbelievable. I'm just happy for the guy."