Kochetkov just thinking 'about hockey' during perfect start for Hurricanes

Pyotr Kochetkov said he's in a better state of mind this season after battling back from a lower-body injury, and it shows in his play.

The Carolina Hurricanes goalie is off to a 7-0-0 start and can maintain his perfect record when the defending Stanley Cup champions host the Boston Bruins at Lenovo Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360). 

"I'm happy to be playing because I only played nine games last season and that was tough mentally," Kochetkov said last week in Edmonton. "But it was actually good to see a game from the outside and it teaches you. Now when I have a bad night, I just think about how it's better to have a bad night than to not be playing at all. 

"I'm happy that I'm on this team and I'm happy I'm able to play. I don't think about too many other things now, I just think about hockey."

Overcoming the injury has given Kochetkov a new appreciation for the game and he's made the most of his seven starts this season. The 27-year-old has a 1.70 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. He made 24 saves in a 4-0 win at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday for his first shutout of the season and 12th in the NHL. 

"I'm happy for him, it's hard to come back after missing that many games," Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield said. "He's a workhorse, he puts in a lot of work, and I know he wants it. I played with him with the Chicago Wolves (in the American Hockey League) five or six years ago, so I've seen firsthand how he's developed and the way he takes care of his body. 

"Injuries are going to happen. It's the way you bounce back from that and the way he's done it so far, credit to him because he had put in the work."

Selected by Carolina in the second round (No. 36) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kochetkov's NHL career was progressing steadily prior to his injury. He was 27-16-3 in 47 games (all starts) with a 2.60 GAA, .898 save percentage and two shutouts in 2024-25, and 1-1 in four Stanley Cup Playoff games (two starts) with a 3.60 GAA and .855 save percentage. 

Kuchetkov was 6-2-0 with a 2.33 GAA, .899 save percentage and one shutout in nine games (eight starts) last season. He's sharing the net with Brandon Bussi this season. 

"I changed my mindset," Kuchetkov said. "I changed my routine and how I feel. I changed a lot this season. It's probably more inside (mentally) and not outside how I get ready for games and how I try to get ready for practice and things like that. It's been a good change." 

Last season, Kochetkov was expected to share the net with Frederik Andersen, but a nagging hip problem flared up to the point where he had to miss the first month. He made his season debut Nov. 4 and stopped all 26 shots he faced in a 3-0 win at the New York Rangers. 

Unfortunately for Kochekov, the injury continued to bother him and he eventually had surgery. He was declared out for the season Dec. 29, which opened the door for Bussi. 

"Any goalie, or player, whatever, if you're not feeling 100 percent, it's hard to feel good about what you're doing and then maybe you compensate and you're just not yourself," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "When you can feel good, you play good and I think he's definitely done that."

Kochetkov returned to practice prior to the 2026 playoffs and backed up Bussi in the last three games of the Stanley Cup Final after Andersen sustained a knee injury in Game 3. The Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006.

Andersen signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, leaving Kochetkov and Bussi as the goalie tandem in Carolina.

Kochetkov is in the fourth season of a four-year, $8 million contract ($2 million average annual value) he signed with the Hurricanes on Nov. 23, 2022. He signed a two-year, $7.9 million contract ($3.95 million AAV) that will begin next season.

"We do have a lot of confidence in our goalies," Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. "Bussi was obviously unbelievable last year, where 'Koch,' to say the least, had a bad year with injuries. To be able to see him bounce back the way he has this season and to see 'Buss' continue with what he's doing is obviously what you want from your two goalies. We're very confident in both of those guys."

Kochetkov said he's evolved and matured during his time in the NHL. Playing with Andersen the previous three seasons helped in that regard. 

"I learned a lot from Freddy about staying strong mentally," Kochetkov said. "He was strong mentally because he had a lot of injuries, which happens, but he always came back and was always playing at the same level. He had a good playoff performance."

Kochetkov now looks at the bigger picture as opposed on focusing on each individual start, which put extra pressure on him in the past. 

"Before, I would just think about one game at a time," he said. "Now you think about how we had 15 games this month and you need to be ready physically and mentally for all those games. You try to be smarter and be ready for the next day too. I'm just trying to be smarter about it."