- Rod Brind’Amour took the blame off Frederik Andersen after Carolina’s 6-2 Game 1 loss to Montreal
- The Hurricanes coach said the result “wasn’t on him at all” and confirmed Andersen will start Game 2
- Read below for the full quotes, Andersen’s playoff numbers, and the post-game video
Rod Brind’Amour isn’t pinning the Game 1 loss on Frederik Andersen.
After Carolina’s 6-2 collapse to Montreal on Thursday night at Lenovo Center, the Hurricanes head coach went out of his way to take the pressure off his veteran goalie.
“This game wasn’t on him at all. Freddie is pretty calm. One of his strengths is that he’s able to just move on.”
Brind’Amour was asked if he considered pulling Andersen during a first period that saw Montreal score four times in the opening 11 minutes.
“I’m not going to blame him for breakaways. I thought (about changing goalies) maybe for a second, just to give him a breather, but he’s had a ton of rest, so it’s actually the opposite. We need to get him probably up to speed with probably more game action.”
Watch Brind’Amour’s full post-game video here:
The numbers explain why Brind’Amour isn’t worried. Through the first two rounds, Andersen went 8-0 with a 1.12 goals-against average, a .950 save percentage, and two shutouts. Carolina swept the Senators and Flyers in eight straight games and allowed just 10 goals total along the way.
Game 1 broke the trend in a hurry. Seth Jarvis scored 33 seconds in, then Montreal answered with four goals in the next 11 minutes. Andersen finished with 16 saves on 21 shots and gave up multiple goals in a game for the first time this spring.
Catch the Game 1 highlights here:
Carolina is rolling out the same lineup for Game 2 on Saturday. The coach also kept the team off the ice Friday and skipped morning skate Saturday, opting for video work over practice.
On how the Hurricanes plan to handle the early-series setback, Brind’Amour didn’t reach for anything fancy:
“You’re going to face adversity. You don’t want to. But we’ve got to focus on getting to our game. Let’s see what it looks like when we play well.”
Puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. Game 2 will decide whether the Canes tie the series at home or head to Montreal down 2-0.
