NEWARK, N.J. -- The Carolina Hurricanes faced a bittersweet victory on Sunday afternoon, April 27, 2025, as they defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. However, the win was overshadowed by the injury of starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, who left the game in the second period after a controversial collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.
Andersen exited the game with 15:41 remaining in the second period after Meier, driving hard to the net in pursuit of a pass from Ondrej Palat, collided with him while being defended by Andrei Svechnikov. Initially, the on-ice officials assessed a major penalty against Meier for goalie interference, but after a video review, the penalty was rescinded, much to the frustration of Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour.
"I guess the best way I would think it is that if [the puck] goes in, it's 100 percent goalie interference. So there was clearly contact. You're not really supposed to go in there. It may be a little bump, but he's a big guy, he could stop," Brind'Amour said, expressing his disbelief over the lack of penalty. "We do feel like we try to protect the goalie quite a bit in this league, for the goalie interference stuff [where] nobody knows what's going on. That was the frustrating part."
After Andersen's departure, backup goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stepped in and made 14 saves, helping the Hurricanes maintain their lead and secure the victory. Kochetkov's performance was critical, as he had not played since April 16 and was making his first appearance of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite his previous struggles in the postseason, Kochetkov held strong against a desperate Devils team.
"We had to keep our cool and not let the situation get to us," said Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal. "In the past, we've gotten caught up in refs and being frustrated and losing our cool. I thought tonight the guys did a much better job of just accepting tough calls. It is part of the game, and you see it every night, and you see it all over the league. It's a fast game. It's their human nature. You want to just keep moving forward. I thought tonight we did a good job."
The game began with Carolina establishing dominance, scoring the first three goals, including two from Svechnikov, who ultimately completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal. New Jersey responded in the second period with goals from Nico Hischier and Meier, the latter cutting Carolina's lead to 3-2 shortly after Kochetkov entered the game.
Meier, who scored his first goal of the playoffs at 7:34 of the second period, commented on the collision, saying he was pushed into Andersen by Svechnikov. "I didn’t mean to collide with him. I was just trying to make a play," Meier explained. "But I guess it’s on the refs to make that call, and they didn’t see it that way."
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe echoed Meier's sentiments, describing the contact as incidental. "I mean, anytime they're going to look at it, you're concerned, but from my perspective, it looked like it's pretty incidental. They told me [that] looking at it was just confirming what they thought on the ice, which is that it was not worthy of a penalty," Keefe said.
The aftermath of the collision saw heightened physicality, with players on both sides exchanging hits. Jordan Martinook laid a significant hit on Palat, while Dmitry Orlov attempted to retaliate against Meier. The game’s intensity reflected the stakes, with Carolina one win away from eliminating New Jersey from the playoffs.
As the series progresses, the Hurricanes' penalty kill has been a significant factor in their success, going a perfect 12-for-12 against the Devils' power play through the first four games. Andersen had been a crucial part of that success, leading the playoffs with a goals-against average of 1.48 and a save percentage of .943 prior to his injury.
Despite the injury concerns, Carolina's depth has shone through, with contributions from players like Brent Burns, who scored an insurance goal in the third period. The Hurricanes have shown resilience and adaptability, which will be vital as they prepare for Game 5 in Raleigh on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
The situation surrounding Andersen remains uncertain, with Brind'Amour stating that the goaltender would be evaluated in Raleigh on Monday. As the team looks ahead, the focus will be on maintaining their momentum and closing out the series against a New Jersey team that will be desperate to stay alive.
In the end, the Hurricanes managed to secure a critical victory, but the looming question of Andersen's health adds a layer of complexity to their playoff journey. The stakes continue to rise as the series heads back to North Carolina, where the Hurricanes will aim to finish the job and advance to the second round for the fifth consecutive season under Brind'Amour.
