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The Carolina Hurricanes will be without a key player for their trip to face the New York Rangers on November 4. Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour has decided to keep Frederik Andersen at home for the crucial clash. The Dane is typically the team’s undisputed starter between the pipes. Brind’Amour eased concerns ahead of the matchup by claiming that Andersen is not dealing with an injury. Instead, the goalie was not scheduled to play against the Rangers and will now earn extra rest by avoiding the road trip. “[Andersen] wasn’t going to play tonight, so why even put the extra travel and stress?” explained the coach, as reported by beat writer Cory Lavalette. “He can stay home, he can work on his game and rest, really. And then get ready for his next start.” Andersen has featured in seven of Carolina’s 11 games so far during the 2025-26 season. In these matchups, the veteran has posted a 2.96 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. With Andersen back in Raleigh, Brind’Amour will turn to Pyotr Kochetkov in goal. The Russian is set to make his first start of the season after finally recovering from a lower-body injury. Carolina Hurricanes Likely to go with Three Goalies Moving Forward With Kochetkov back in the fray, the Hurricanes now have three healthy and available goalkeepers. This is typically unusual for NHL teams, as most coaches tend to favor using just two goalies. Nevertheless, the situation is complicated due to the stellar play of Brandon Bussi. The 27-year-old rookie has stepped into Kochetkov’s role with ease to start the 2025-26 season. He has even been statistically better than Andersen (2.25 GAA and .916 SV%) in four games with the Canes. Brind’Amour was likely expecting to place Bussi on waivers to make room for a healthy Kochetkov. This notion, however, has changed because of Bussi’s play. Another NHL team would now almost certainly take a chance on grabbing Bussi on waivers. If so, Carolina would then lose a fairly valuable goalkeeper. The situation is far from ideal, but Brind’Amour is trying to make it work for now. The coach has even claimed that keeping three goalies on the roster could work out in the team’s favor. “The three-goalie thing never really is a great thing, but in our situation, I think it is going to be a good thing,” Brind’Amour continued. K’Andre Miller Skates with Teammates Ahead of Return to New York Along with Kochetkov, Carolina also received good news regarding another injured star. K’Andre Miller was seen skating with his new teammates in New York ahead of the game. The defenseman has not featured for the Canes since playing against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on October 20. While he did practice, Brind’Amour told reporters that he does not expect Miller to feature against his old team. Miller’s impending return to the lineup will be welcomed news for Carolina fans. The team has also been without fellow blueliners Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere, as well as forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson. Despite the issues, the Canes have managed to win seven of their first 11 games to start the season.
