Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen day-to-day; Pyotr Kochetkov to start Game 5 versus Devils

Frederik Andersen remains day-to-day after leaving Game 4 of the Carolina Hurricanes‘ first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette.

Brind’Amour added that backup netminder Pyotr Kochetkov will start Game 5 against the Devils on Tuesday.

In Game 4, Andersen exited in the second period and did not return after being bumped in the crease by Devils right winger Timo Meier. Kochetkov entered in relief of Andersen, turning aside 14 of 15 shots en route to a 5-2 road win and a 3-1 series lead for the Hurricanes.

The ailment marks the latest injury challenge for Andersen who missed 38 regular-season games after undergoing knee surgery. In all, Andersen closed out 2024-25 with a 13-8-1 showing coupled with an .899 save percentage, 2.50 goals-against average, and one shutout.

Since joining the Hurricanes in 2021, the 35-year-old Danish-born netminder has missed significant time due to injury. In 2023-24, he was sidelined for 49 games due to a blood clot issue, while the prior year saw him miss 29 games due to a lower-body injury. Andersen was also sidelined for the entire 2022 postseason due to a lower-body ailment.

Per PuckPedia, Andersen is in the final year of a two-year pact that carries a $3.4-million cap hit and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.

For Kochetkov, the 25-year-old Russian-born goaltender takes to the blue paint after wrapping up the 2024-25 campaign with a 27-16-3 record alongside an .898 save percentage, 2.58 goals-against average, plus a pair of shutouts. With the Hurricanes, Kochetkov has made six appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in which he has come away with a single victory coupled with an .863 save percentage and 4.01 goals-against average.

Kochetkov was originally chosen by the Hurricanes in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.