With the NHL playoffs set to begin next week, the Carolina Hurricanes face a major challenge in net.
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Antti Raanta, the Carolina Hurricanes reliable backup goaltender, left with a lower-body injury during a 5-2 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday evening. With the severity of his injury currently unknown.
In came Pyotr Kochetkov, who made his NHL debut Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes were already without goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Andersen, the teams starting goaltender, was also injured during a game last week against the Colorado Avalanche. He is going to be out for at least one more week for the Hurricanes.
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Alex Lyon, who is with the Hurricanes farm team, is also out with an injury, leaving Carolina three goaltenders short with very few options in net.
With the playoffs set to begin Monday, May 2nd, Canes fans better hope to get at least one of their goaltenders back between the pipes for the start of round one.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said they are hopeful that Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta's injuries aren't too serious and they can return soon.
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"I don't know, and I don't know how bad 'Raants' is," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I'm hoping it's not too serious. We'll know more in a couple of days."
"What are you going to do, cry over it or what?" Brind'Amour said. "We just to have to keep moving forward. Thankfully we brought (Kochetkov) over. It's not what you drew up, it's not what you want happen, injuries to anybody especially to goalies, but hopefully neither (Raanta nor Andersen) will be too serious and we'll get them back." -- Jon Lane
For their remaining two games, Carolina has a few options to take the net. They could roll with Pyotr Kochetkov, Jack LaFontaine and Dylan Wells as healthy options for the Hurricanes with two games remaining before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
