As the NHL regular season ran down and the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs were rapidly approaching, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes was who was going to start in net. Rod Brind’Amour decided to go with Antti Raanta and a lot of people were a little surprised. Even though we are only four games into the first round, that decision has paid dividends for the Hurricanes.
Antti Raanta Starts Round One of the Playoffs
The Hurricanes decision to start Antti Raanta in net against the New York Islanders to begin round one of the playoffs surprised many. Raanta took the start over the normal number one goalie in Frederik Andersen and the young up-and-comer Pyotr Kochetkov. There were arguable reasons to start any of the three but when looking at the end of the season, Raanta was probably the most consistent down the stretch. Through that lens and considering his years of experience, maybe it wasn’t as crazy as many thought. Four games into the series with a three to one Carolina lead and it really doesn’t seem crazy at all.
Shifting Defensive Games
The story heading into this series was who would be able to put the puck in the net between these two defensive-focused teams. But it was not really comparing apples to apples. The question for Carolina was if they really could solve the Islanders Vezina caliber goalie Ilya Sorokin. For a large part, the Hurricanes have found ways to get the puck in the net as much as needed. Conversely, the question for the Islanders was if they could break through the Hurricanes heavy shot-suppressing and forechecking game. While each of the Hurricanes three goalies were considered decent NHL goalies by most, that was not the strength of the Hurricanes defensive game.
For a team built on driving play and generating shots, with the exception of game four, the Hurricanes have not really been as dominant in those analytics as they normally would. While their shots are still fairly high, through four games their xG% is tenth out of the 16 playoff teams. The Islanders are actually ahead of them in that category. Carolina was at the top during the regular season. For a lot of teams this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, this is typically the Hurricanes bread and butter. Yet here they are. Leading three to one in the series with a chance to clinch at home. The Hurricanes improvement in their power play is a big reason, but so is Raanta.
Raanta Stepping In When Needed
Through four games in this first round, Antti Raanta has let in ten goals and has a 2.46 GAA. He leads all goalies in the playoffs in those categories (tied with Linus Ullmark for goals against) who have played in four games as of April 24. He is third in SV% with .915 and goals saved above expected at 1.4. While four games is a relatively small sample size and only six goalies have played in four games up until this point, these are very encouraging numbers for what should be the Hurricanes backup goalie. Raanta is putting up numbers that are putting him in line with Ullmark who has a very strong chance to win the Vezina Trophy this year.
Antti Raanta v. Ilya Sorokin
Head-to-head, Raanta is leading Sorokin in all of these categories too. The story going into this series was not Sorokin versus Raanta, but it has started to become that way due to Raanta’s play. The Hurricanes style of play makes it hard sometimes to truly assess their goalies’ abilities. The goalie may not see a ton of shots which in turn sometimes makes things trickier. But now when the Hurricanes have been somewhat off their normal level, and suffering from many injuries, Raanta has shown something. His calming demeanor and style of play allows the team to play in front of him with confidence. This can be very beneficial when emotions run high and the physicality picks up, as it has this series. While there were one or two goals that Raanta would want back, he has shut the door down when the Hurricanes have needed him most.
If the Hurricanes make it past the Islanders, it will be interesting to see if Raanta’s stellar play will continue. It is hard not to root for a guy like this. He is one of these guys that has been around a while and seems to always have a smile on his face. Staying healthy will be another big thing to look out for moving forward for Raanta. Fortunately for Carolina, Raanta holding down the fort allows for Andersen to get some rest if he is needed. Considering Andersen’s injury history this could turn to be very beneficial as well.
Main Photo: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
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