Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour throws support behind Frederik Andersen after tough Game 1

The Carolina Hurricanes lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was one of the worst games of the playoffs so far for Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.

Andersen stopped just 18 of 23 shots in the Game 1 loss. Despite the struggles, Rod Brind’Amour is still supporting his netminder, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

“I think a couple of those games, we weren’t giving up a lot of shots. So the save percentage count is a tough one for our team,” Brind’Amour said. “We don’t give up a lot. There’s still quality chances. There’s just not a lot of fluff. So yeah, I’m not concerned about it.”

Andersen was dominant in the first two series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He allowed just 11 goals in the first eight games, winning eight straight games and having a .950 save percentage and a 1.12 goals-agaisnt average. Things went sideways for Andersen in the first game against the Montreal Canadiens. In that game, he stopped just 16 of 21 shots. He did rebound in the rest of the series, giving up just five goals in the next four games. Overall, he has had to play in just 12 games, while seeing only 312 shots in the playoffs.

“We’ve been fortunate that he hasn’t had to play a ton of games there. But we’re mindful of it,” Brind’Amour said. “He knows what he needs. If he starts feeling a little fatigued, he’s going to let us know. But I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

It was not a good game for either netminder in Game 1, as Carter Hart also allowed four goals on 29 shots. If Carolina wants to avoid going down 2-0 in the series, Andersen needs to have a good game. Game 2 is set for Thursday night with an 8 pm ET puck drop.

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