The Carolina Hurricanes are carrying three goalies on the roster, but the matter of finding the one most suitable for certain games might be their biggest task.
Frederik Andersen is considered the team’s No. 1 goalie, but he hasn’t been sharp at times recently.
So that could further complicate the goaltending assignment for the Hurricanes when they face the Nashville Predators on Saturday night at Raleigh, N.C.
“I’ve played better hockey and I’ve had worse numbers,” Andersen said of his recent stretch. “It doesn’t look good, obviously. We’re not getting the wins with me in the net lately, but I still feel like I’ve got my game.”
So Brandon Bussi, who was in the Carolina nets for back-to-back games last weekend, could be in line for another outing. Saturday’s game marks the first of three games across four days for the Hurricanes.
Andersen is 0-4-2 in his last six starts. He said he’ll be ready for his next opportunity whenever that comes.
“I’ve had worse stretches where things have looked better and I’ve gotten more wins,” Andersen said. “That’s how I look at it. I try to be positive and move on.”
The Predators should arrive in a good mindset after Thursday’s 2-1 overtime victory at Florida. Nashville has won four of its last five games.
Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis has six goals across the last six games. He has a team-leading 16 goals on the season.
Yet Carolina has a total of one goal in regulation in the past two games combined.
“They try so hard and they care so much. Yeah, it’s eating them up a little,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the team’s top lines. ” … It will come for them.”
The Hurricanes went 0-for-3 on power plays Thursday, continuing a trend of lower production. But there were openings created with some solid puck movement.
“We had some good looks,” Brind’Amour said “We’ve got to capitalize on our chances.”
The Predators have done strong work on special teams. They credited their penalty killing with making a difference in the Florida game.
“Special teams are a factor in games,” Predators forward Steven Stamkos said. “PP, we’ve got to try to find a way to be better because that’s not acceptable. But PK, we’re unbelievable.”
This will be the fifth game of a seven-game homestand for the Hurricanes. They’ll look for an early spark against Nashville.
“You want to have a good start every game and get rolling, especially in your own building,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said.
Road games have resulted in encouraging outcomes for the Predators of late. They’ll try to build on a good foundation with the matchup vs. the Hurricanes because they’ve uncovered a strong road formula with three straight road wins entering this one.
“The mindset stayed with us the whole game, and we’re getting a little bit better at it,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said after the Panthers win. “This could maybe be a game that kind of kickstarts us.”
The Predators will be without a player for Saturday’s game while Carolina is hopeful to get a contributor back.
Nashville forward Ozzy Wiesblatt left the Florida game with a first-period upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve Friday. He’s expected to be sidelined for eight to 10 weeks.
The Hurricanes were without defenseman K’Andre Miller in Thursday’s game because of illness.
