Andersen healthy, confident with Hurricanes on verge of Eastern Conference Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Square to the puck. Big in the net. Chest up even when he's down. Confident.

Ask Henrik Lundqvist about Frederik Andersen and the Hockey Hall of Famer is quick to rave about the Carolina Hurricanes goalie.

Lundqvist, a retired goalie who played for the New York Rangers, is watching Andersen closely in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a studio analyst for TNT. He sees him exhibiting all the traits a goalie needs to be successful. He is obviously impressed.

"The structure within his game is really good," Lundqvist told NHL.com. "I feel he reads the play really well. I think they work well together, the 'D' corps and Freddie in terms how they play odd-man rushes. There seems to be a good understanding of what they're looking to do. They probably have a lot of set rules, but his style, I talked a little bit about it on air. He's a big guy and he keeps his chest upright, so even when he's down in his butterfly he covers a lot of the net. He keeps his glove somewhat low, so I think that's where you can maybe get after him a little bit. He has a good glove hand, but just the positioning.

"If you look at the size of the pads, they're pretty short for a guy his size. He could definitely go with bigger pads, taller pads, but he uses shorter pads to make him move smoother and when you go shorter pads it's easier to close your knees in a butterfly. You won't cover as much but it definitely makes a difference in how you move. He's definitely really good on his feet in terms of how he moves. And then confidence level, obviously he's been playing really well in the playoffs, so it's high."

That's a lot to digest, but the last part of Lundqvist's description of Andersen's game is what matters most to Carolina.

It would be unfair to the Hurricanes and their overall team game to unequivocally say Andersen is the biggest reason they're on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference Final, leading the best-of-7 second round 3-1 against the Washington Capitals going into Game 5 at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

But if we're going to list reasons for Carolina's success in the playoffs, it's hard not to put Andersen at the top.

He leads all goalies who have started at least one game with a 1.41 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

He leads the postseason with a .933 save percentage on high-danger shots on goal, per NHL EDGE advanced stats, stopping 42 of 45 shots, including all 24 he has faced in the second round. The League average is .804.

"I feel good and have the confidence that in any situation that happens I can put myself in the best situation to make a save," Andersen said. "Having the trust of the team in front of me that we're getting to our game and playing well, that's really what it comes down to at this time of the year. The guys have been playing so hard in front of us, making those big blocks and defensive plays here and there. It's being about that team effort and whatever it takes."

Andersen is playing with an appreciation for the time of year and what he gets to do. He missed 50 games last season with a blood clotting issue. He missed 39 this season because of knee surgery.

"Obviously, you know my history the last couple of years with some things that no one wants to have happen to you," Andersen said. "You go through it and it's a good reminder of just how precious it is that you get to play this sport. I'm happy to still be playing. Every day we come in and try to win the day and this group gives us another opportunity to play even longer."

The Hurricanes actually make it both easy and hard on Andersen to be successful.

Easy because, like he mentioned, they're playing lights out in front of him, especially in the second round, limiting the Capitals to just 77 shots on goal, an average of 19.3 per game while blocking 45.

"They don't give up a ton of shots, so I think he's very familiar being in that position," Lundqvist said. "For the most part they with a lot of structure, but any team with a lot of structure you will have breakdowns, so you're going to have to come up with a few big-time saves and a lot of times that could be the difference."

And that's the hard part, because for long stretches Andersen is standing all alone on the other end of the ice as the Hurricanes are pressuring the Capitals, or really whoever they play, forechecking, forcing turnovers, hunting down loose pucks, firing shots at the net and tracking back so well that it stymies rush chances against.

But sometimes there is that breakdown Lundqvist mentioned and then it's on Andersen to come up huge. It happened early in Games 3 and 4, but it could happen at any moment. He knows it and mentally prepares for it.

"Definitely in my time in Carolina you get better at as you play here," Andersen said. "You learn to deal with those types of games when we have the puck a lot. You just have to stick with it mentally. I can't force them to shoot the puck to get a feelgood save, so you have to stay in the moment and be ready for everything and take each situation as if it's the only thing that matters. That's the mindset."

Not every goalie can do that. Some say they love it when they're busier and it's harder when they're not. Andersen fits in Carolina because he has adapted to being good while patient.

"He's done a nice job of always seemingly staying ready," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "You still have those high-quality chances, like early in the game last game. To me that's a huge part of it because now all of a sudden, you're able to settle us down and allow us to keep playing.

"You've got to know who you are, and he's real comfortable in that and that's what's making him successful."