What would be going through your mind if you had lost your starting goalie job twice in the regular season, and struggled all of March while leading up to the Stanley Cup playoffs, only to be getting ready to start your very first game in the Stanley Cup Finals?
Frederik Andersen silenced that voice.
At an NHL-considered-decrepit age of 36, the 13-year veteran Andersen has proved he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level, for the highest prize — backed by three shutouts and a 5-0 record in overtime these playoffs.
You wouldn’t think that Frederik Andersen would be in this position before the playoffs started. Carolina entered the year with a settled Pyotr Kochetkov/Andersen tandem. In October, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed Brandon Bussi on waivers, who quickly became a hot goalie, and took over as Carolina's go-to netminder for much of the 2025-26 regular season. But Andersen got some time in April and showed that he could be relied on when it mattered most - in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Andersen is 12-1 in 13 playoff starts with a 1.41 GAA and .931 save percentage — the best save percentage of any NHL goaltender this postseason with a minimum of five games played. He has three shutouts and a 5-0 record in overtime games. He also became the third goalie in NHL history with 12 wins through his first 13 games in a playoff year, joining Ken Dryden (1976 Canadiens) and Gerry Cheevers (1970 Bruins).
The Great Dane is only the fifth goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first six road games to start a postseason, joining Patrick Roy, Jonathan Quick, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Billy Smith. Frederik lost his only game in these playoffs after a Game 1 dud against Montreal — which happened after 11 days off between series, the longest break in 107 years in the NHL.
To say that Frederik Andersen has been a monster is an understatement. He’s joined his Hurricane brethren in this unreal level that has taken these playoffs by storm, pun absolutely intended. Which leads me to believe…
My Prediction: As hungry and as well as Carter Hart has been playing, there is someone that has been playing for longer, has a lot more to prove, has an insatiable appetite and is absolutely dominating. Frederik Andersen is on a historic tear through the playoffs, and he hasn't had the benefit of an opponent collapsing the way Anaheim collapsed against Vegas. With an incredibly deep team in front of him, I don’t see Andersen letting his foot off the gas, let alone losing more than a game in the Finals.