Hurricanes goalie for for Game 6 against Islanders a mystery

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. --The Carolina Hurricanes will try to close out the Eastern Conference First Round against the New York Islanders on Friday, but who they start in goal for Game 6 at UBS Arena is a mystery.

"That's the only one that I'm not going to disclose just for the heck]*
Andersen looked like a goalie preparing to play at practice Thursday, getting the heavier workload with a net to himself while Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov shared the other one.
The 33-year-old didn't want to get into the specifics of his ailments earlier in the series and said, "I'm just excited to be on the ice."
Andersen would relish the opportunity to get in a postseason game after being unable to play in the playoffs last season, his first with the Hurricanes, because of a torn MCL. He last played in the playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020 before agreeing to a two-year, $9 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) with Carolina on July 28, 2021.
"I haven't played in the playoffs in a while, so of course, if called upon I would be excited to play," Andersen said Thursday. "But yeah, it's up to the coaching staff. I'm back right now. I'm just happy to be a part of the team and not sitting up top like last year as much. And yeah, I feel good to go."
Andersen was 21-11-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and one shutout in 34 regular-season games (33 starts). Raanta got the start in Game 1 against the Islanders after he was 19-3-3 with a 2.23 GAA, .910 save percentage and four shutouts in 27 regular-season games (26 starts).
Raanta has played well for the most part in the playoffs, stopping 126 of 139 shots in five games for a 2.59 GAA and .906 save percentage.
The Hurricanes mostly rotated their goalies during the regular season, so a change always was a possibility. Raanta's five straight starts to begin the playoffs matched his longest run from the regular season, when he started five in a row from Dec. 22-Jan. 1. But that stretch was the lone instance of the 33-year-old starting more than two games in a row this season.
Brind'Amour said he hasn't seen any signs of Raanta wearing down, but acknowledged it was a concern.
"It's just, again, we didn't do it this year like that," Brind'Amour said. "But I think he's been really solid, and he looked good today when we were out there. So, not an issue."

Having two off days between Games 5 and 6 gave Raanta extra time to rest and he said he felt fine physically Thursday. In fact, he said he would have preferred playing Game 6 on Thursday to maintain the every-other-day pattern.
"I think every goalie wants to play every game, especially during the playoffs," he said. "It's just getting into that rhythm, getting into that mindset that you're playing. Just try to keep it simple and focus on the right things and don't get too ahead of yourself."
Raanta said he had not been told if he will start Friday but is preparing as if he is going to play, as he always does.
"Obviously today was a good practice day to get out there and get some reps," he said. "Everybody is getting ready for tomorrow, so that's the plan."
The Hurricanes skaters are used to the goalie rotation, so whether it's Andersen or Raanta in net Friday won't impact them much.
"We feel confident in both of them," defenseman Brady Skjei said. "Obviously 'Raants' has played really well for us so far. I don't know what's going to happen, but we feel good with both of them. So that's out of our control. We just know how we've got to play, and we feel good with both of them in there."
Whoever is in net will have to be at his best after New York's Ilya Sorokin elevated his play in Game 5, making 34 saves to lower his postseason GAA to 2.77 and raise his save percentage to .923.
"There are certain goalies, you can tell when they're in that groove," Brind'Amour said. "We played (Juuse) Saros with Nashville, and [Sorokin] reminds me of the same. When they get in a groove, they're ahead of it. They know the puck is going over here and they're there. You can just kind of see it and he was kind of in that groove the other night where you could really tell he was on."
For the most part, though, the Hurricanes want to play similar to how they did Tuesday and just clean up some of their mistakes.
"We played a good game," Raanta said. "I could have maybe made a save or two there and help the team that way, but that's hockey. Sometimes goals go in, and obviously we couldn't get those goals. So I think it's a new day, new opportunity, and I think everybody is excited to get back there."