(Raleigh) The three-goalkeeper regime maintained by the Canadian since the start of the season continues to unleash passions in the metropolis. Now, if there is one place where no one will be moved, it is in Carolina.
At training on Wednesday, three masked men shared the work for the Hurricanes. At one end of the ice, Frederik Andersen, who hasn’t played since November 2 due to a blood problem, looked an awful lot like a goalie ready to take over.
At the other end, Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin alternated in front of goal, depending on the different exercises. And before the whole team took to the ice, Antti Raanta worked for an hour with the club’s specialist trainer.
According to our calculations, there are indeed four guardians who must live together. And according to the same calculations, there are only two positions available during a game, and two nets on the same ice rink.
“You have to be organized,” says Paul Schonfelder, Hurricanes goalie coach. Nobody wants four goalkeepers in the same training session. But everyone still has to have their rehearsals. »
Well, it’s not exactly a ménage à quatre, in the strictest definition of the term, that we’re seeing in Raleigh, since Andersen and Raanta are on the injured list, so Kochetkov and Martin are standing guard for almost a month.
The logistics, however, are complex, especially since all four are currently able to train.
The goalkeepers’ file, in fact, has been complicated since practically the first day of the season. The good old Andersen-Raanta duo started the campaign. A month later, we learned that the Dane would miss several months of activities. In November, Raanta showed some flaws that became even more glaring in December, to the point that management sent him to play two games in the American League to get his act together, which paid off.
In January, Kochetkov suffered a concussion and Spencer Martin was claimed on waivers. A few days later, it was Raanta’s turn to suffer a “lower body” injury, opening the door to the improbable Kochetkov-Martin duo… who demonstrated formidable efficiency. In his last seven starts, the Russian has a goals against average of 1.73. And Martin, a minor league veteran, has yet to suffer a regulation-time defeat in a Hurricanes uniform.
Over the past few months, everyone who has defended the net has raised their game. Their consistency has been key. I’m not talking about having two good games in a row, but rather playing five or six, always in the same way, every night.
Paul Schonfelder, Hurricanes goaltending coach
The challenge is even greater, he believes, in a club that performs so well defensively. The Hurricanes, in fact, are among the teams in the league that allow the fewest shots and scoring chances. Newcomers in front of the net must therefore get to grips with an atypical workload. “Some evenings, you will receive three shots in a period,” illustrates the specialist.
“Facing 30 to 35 shots per game is physically difficult, but facing 18 or 19 is psychologically difficult. Few people realize this. When you get few shots, you lose rhythm, you have time to think. You have to manage matches the right way. Because ultimately, you have to make the stops anyway. »
Personalities
It’s no secret that goalkeepers are a breed of athletes apart. Everyone has their own personality, tics, even quirks. So imagine when there are four of them, stuck in a situation they didn’t choose.
“They were great,” assures Paul Schonfelder. They are all there to help the team win. »
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pyotr Kochetkov (52)
Kochetkov, 24, is undoubtedly the revelation of the season. After experiencing some early difficulties, he won 9 of his last 14 starts. With his broken English, he is the one who speaks loudly and makes his teammates laugh.
During a short discussion with The Press, he welcomes the cooperation between his colleagues and him. He is “living the dream” playing full-time in the NHL. “It’s really nice,” he adds.
Next to him, Andersen, 34, is otherwise composed. As might be expected, he says this campaign has been anything but easy for him. “It’s like all situations in life, you have to find the right way to deal with them,” he philosophizes.
He has never had to share his net in this way before, but here too, he is trying to make a positive out of it. “If we have a rehearsal, we have to give everything we can. If you have two, you have to be the best at both. That’s all we can do. Even if we started to complain, it won’t change. If so, it will just be worse. »
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Frederik Andersen (31)
He has only good words for his partners, in particular Raanta, also 34 years old, his accomplice in recent seasons – the Finn was the only one of the four goalkeepers to be absent from the locker room at the time of the passage of The Press.
Finally, on the other side of the room, there is Spencer Martin, 28 years old. We can believe that he will remember this 2023-2024 season for a long time, during which he was claimed on waivers not once, but twice. The Ontarian resolutely has no control over his destiny, because he is well aware that it is he who will suffer when Raanta and Andersen are back in health. A few hours before the trade deadline, he may be spending his last moments in Carolina.
PHOTO RUSSELL LABOUNTY, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Spencer Martin (41)
“It’s the best team I’ve ever played for,” he marvels. It’s really exciting. Everything can happen. I know I have the chance to be part of something special, so I’m ready for anything. »
This is perhaps what best sums up this unusual coexistence in a team that aspires to great honors. Everyone must offer the best of themselves, without letting up. And for the rest, we’ll see.
“We don’t really talk about what’s next,” admits Paul Schonfelder. We expect to continue like this, one day at a time, until the next challenge, the next match. But yes, decisions will be made. »
These will undoubtedly make one or two unhappy. But when there is a Stanley Cup to win, sometimes cruel choices are necessary.