Frederik Andersen will return and start when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens at PNC Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, TSN2, RDS).
The 34-year-old goalie, who has missed 50 games, has not played since Nov. 2 after being diagnosed with a blood clotting issue. He began practicing with the Hurricanes on Feb. 15 after working 1-on-1 with goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder for the previous two weeks.
Andersen was cleared to resume on-ice activities during Carolina’s break for 2024 All-Star Weekend (Feb. 1-3) and was activated from injured reserve Thursday.
His return will provide a boost for the Hurricanes (33-17-5), who trail the New York Rangers by six points for the Metropolitan Division lead with one game in hand. Andersen is 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in six starts this season. He was 5-3 with a 1.83 GAA and .927 save percentage in nine starts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season to help Carolina reach the Eastern Conference Final, where it lost to the Florida Panthers in four games.
Though Andersen was told he would make a full recovery when he was diagnosed, it was initially unclear whether he would be able to play again this season.
“It's obviously been scary times, but thankfully I've gotten a lot of help through the team, the doctors around me, and my family,” he said Feb. 21. “My teammates have been really supportive, and I really appreciate the help.
“I obviously haven’t dealt with this before, and I tried to just get educated as much as I can to really understand what situation I’m in and then really lean on the great team of doctors I’ve seen and have kind of taken their advice and their recommendations and making the decisions with them.”
Pyotr Kochetkov made the majority of starts in Andersen’s absence. In 32 games (30 starts) this season, Kochetkov is 16-11-3 with a 2.41 GAA, .910 save percentage and three shutouts.
The Hurricanes also have Spencer Martin, claimed on waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 19. He's 4–0-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .922 save percentage in five starts for Carolina. Antti Raanta, who has missed the past 11 games with a lower-body injury, is 12-7-2 with a 2.99 GAA, .872 save percentage and one shutout in 24 games (20 starts).
NHL.com independent correspondent Kurt Dusterberg contributed to this report
