Michael Felger and Michael Holley discuss the final games for the Bruins as they get ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Which team will provide the most favorable opponent? Who should start in goal?
The most likely opponent for the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs is the Carolina Hurricanes, and an injury to 'Canes starting goalie Frederik Andersen could significantly impact a potential series.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Tuesday that Andersen might miss the "first few games" of Round 1.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Andersen suffered a left leg injury earlier this month. He's in the midst of a fantastic season with a 35-14-3 record, a .922 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA. He has a very strong case to be one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy.
Ranking Bruins' potential first-round opponents in 2022 playoffs
His absence would be a huge one for Carolina. The Hurricanes are a well-rounded team that defends quite well as a team, and Andersen is the backbone of that success.
The situation worsened for the Hurricanes on Sunday when backup netminder Antti Raanta left the team's win over the New York Islanders. If neither Andersen nor Raanta are ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, we could see rookie Pyotr Kochetkov in net. He has an .889 save percentage in 44:18 minutes played this season.
Boston Bruins
Find the latest Boston Bruins news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
The Hurricanes being forced to play Raanta or Kochetkov in net, even for just a couple games, would be a major break for the Bruins. Andersen went 3-0-0 with a .990 save percentage in three games against the B's this season. Carolina swept the season series by a combined score of 16-1.
We don't know for sure if Andersen will in fact miss the start of the playoffs, but it's a storyline Bruins fans should continue to monitor given the likelihood of these two teams meeting in the first round.
