Brind’Amour backs – Rod Brind’Amour insisted Frederik Andersen’s rough Game 1 shouldn’t be pinned on the veteran, even after Andersen surrendered five goals on 21 shots in Carolina’s 6-2 loss to Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes move forward with Andersen f
Frederik Andersen was the foundation through Carolina’s first two rounds, until Thursday night at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens, the 36-year-old Danish goaltender turned in what Brind’Amour called his worst outing of the postseason. Andersen allowed five goals on just 21 shots as the Hurricanes fell 6-2 in front of a stunned home crowd.
By the time the noise settled, the decision had already been made: Brind’Amour is sticking with Andersen for Game 2 on Saturday.
“I’m not going to blame him for breakaways. I thought (about changing goalies) maybe for a second, just to give him a breather, but he’s had a ton of rest, so it’s actually the opposite. We need to get him probably up to speed with probably more game action,” Brind’Amour told reporters.
That message matters because the numbers are sharp. Andersen’s playoff resume remains excellent, carrying a 1.51 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage this spring. But Thursday’s collapse was different—brutal not just because of the score. but because the Hurricanes were counted on to be the team that had the edge.
Brind’Amour didn’t soften that view, either, but his emphasis stayed on steadiness rather than blame.
“This game wasn’t on him at all,” he said. “Freddie is pretty calm. One of his strengths is that he’s able to just move on.”
Carolina’s early rhythm looked promising. Seth Jarvis scored 33 seconds into the contest to give the Hurricanes an early lead. Then Montreal’s response flipped the night. The Canadiens scored four goals over the next 11 minutes and never looked back.
Montreal’s urgency also showed up in how the chances arrived. The Canadiens generated odd-man rushes consistently and capitalized on defensive breakdowns throughout the night, exposing a Hurricanes group that looked surprisingly vulnerable after a 12-day layoff.
Brind’Amour acknowledged that Carolina’s problems reached beyond the crease.
“You’re going to face (adversity). You don’t want to. (But) we’ve got to focus on getting to our game. Let’s see what it looks like when we play well.”
Before Game 1, Andersen had been carrying Carolina’s confidence. He hadn’t allowed more than two goals in a game this spring. and the Hurricanes had looked built for this moment. They cruised through the first two rounds—sweeping both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers—and allowed just 10 total goals along the way.
Thursday night cut through that momentum. Andersen had been, by many measures, the best goaltender in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he was hit early and hard, making the 6-2 loss feel like a jolt rather than a single-game stumble.
Now the stakes shift firmly onto Carolina ahead of Game 2. The Hurricanes are hoping to avoid the same fate as the Colorado Avalanche, which lost the first two games of its series on home ice.
Carolina’s path back won’t be built on panic. It will come from getting back to their game—something Brind’Amour referenced directly—while expecting Andersen to rediscover the form that helped carry them through the first two rounds. For Game 2 on Saturday, the veteran gets the chance to answer the doubt with action, not debate.
Carolina Hurricanes Montreal Canadiens Frederik Andersen Rod Brind'Amour Eastern Conference Final Game 1 Game 2 NHL playoffs Lenovo Center Seth Jarvis