Shining Star: Andersen Honored By League For Outstanding October

RALEIGH, NC - The National Hockey League announced its Three Stars of the Month for the Month of October Tuesday, naming Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen as the
third star for the league's first month of action
.

Producing a stat line of 7-0-0 with a 1.29 goals against average (GAA) and .956 save percentage (SV%), Andersen's start with his new club could hardly be better.
"It's just a sign that it's been going well for the team," Andersen began of the award. "We play hard. We're obviously happy with the way the first month went, but that doesn't mean too much yet. Every day we try and get better."

Andersen got the nod as the team's opening night goaltender on October 14 against the New York Islanders, where he allowed three goals on 28 shots. From there it was all downhill, in a good way, as each game since fewer pucks per game have gotten by him. Saturday, October 16 in Nashville it was just two, one of which came inside the final minute with the extra attacker on and in his five starts since, they've all included one goal or less.
To take it a notch further, of the four combined goals scored by the Canadiens, Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs, Bruins and Coyotes, only two of them have come at even strength. His clean sheet against Boston on October 28 was the 20th shutout of his career.
"Freddie's been great," Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He's playing better than we would've hoped and probably the biggest reason why we have the record we have."

In addition to his seven wins pacing all 68 of the league's goaltenders that have played games this season, the advanced statistics also help build the case. Andersen's average goals distance - the average distance in feet of goals allowed by a goaltender, per
Natural Stat Trick
- of 8.67 ranks lowest in the league. Indicating that Andersen has been seeing the puck well from mid-range and distance in all of his starts, only when attackers have been able to permeate the Canes defense have they then been able to crack the former Norfolk Admiral.
Of his nine goals allowed, all nine of them of them have been graded "high danger chances". At five-on-five play, Andersen saved over nine goals expected from the month. Goals saved above average (GSAA) is the difference between the goalie's goals against average (GAA) and goals against (GA) with the same shots against and the average save percentage.
"He's been awesome," Ian Cole, a pillar of the team's blue line chimed in with. "In my experience, a goaltender that has a very calming presence, that not only makes the saves that he's supposed to make, but also the occasional unbelievable save, which, he has done, that's a recipe for success. We try to make his job easy as defensemen, try to keep the shots to the outside, limit the changes, limit the quality of chances, but when those do happen, he's there to help us as well. There's a great give-and-take there, he's been fantastic and I think he'll be just as good, if not better, as the season goes on."
This is the second time in his career Andersen has been named a league star of the month, earning second star honors in December of 2017 when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In regards to the history, the 32-year-old Danish netminder became just the second goalie ever in the NHL to begin a season 6-0-0 in his team's first six games in their first season as a member of the team. He became the first Hurricanes/Whalers goalie to win his first four starts with the team back on October 23, a streak now he has obviously extended to seven. Lastly, he is one of just seven goalies all-time to win his

.
(\Writer's Note: All advanced statistical data is courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com. Their official Twitter account can be viewed here.)*
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