Frederik Andersen Injury: Who Starts in Goal for Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final?

Key facts: Goaltender Frederik Andersen took a knee to the head in Game 3 and did not practice Monday. Backup Pyotr Bussi stopped 18 straight shots in relief during a four-goal third-period comeback.

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Andersen posted a strong save percentage through three rounds. Now he's injured, Bussi stole Game 3 in relief.

And Carolina faces a must-win Game 4 without clarity on who starts.

The Hurricanes had this series under control.

Andersen was a wall through three rounds. Twelve wins, one loss, three shutouts, a high save percentage. The East couldn't solve him.

Then the Final started and everything fell apart.

Andersen took a knee to the head from Ivan Barbashev in Game 3.

He missed Monday's practice. Head coach Brind'Amour called it a maintenance day, which nobody believes. Bussi took every starter's rep while Andersen was nowhere to be seen.

Game 4 is tonight. And the Canes still do not know who their goalie is.

How did Andersen go from untouchable to uncertain?

Through three rounds, Andersen looked like the best goalie in the playoffs. The Hurricanes didn't just survive the East. They rolled through it with their franchise goalie standing on his head every single night.

The numbers were impressive. A high save percentage. Three shutouts. Twelve wins against one loss.

Teams were generating chances and watching him swallow them up.

But the Final has been brutal. Goals have been allowed at a high rate. A low save percentage. A high goals-against average. Vegas isn't doing anything clever.

They're shooting and things are going in.

That's not bad luck.

That's a goalie who looks finished.

Andersen's stats tell the whole story. Round 1 through 3: high save percentage. Final: low save percentage. The gap isn't small.

It's a cliff.

What changed between Round 3 and the Final?

The competition got harder, sure.

But the bigger issue is physical. Andersen took a hit to the head in Game 3 and now his body language on the ice is different. Slower pushoffs. A slightly late butterfly. The kind of hesitation that costs goals in the crease.

Goaltending is half physical, half confidence. Andersen has lost both.

What did Bussi do in Game 3 that changed everything?

Bussi hadn't started in a while. Nobody would have blamed him for being rusty.

Instead he came into Game 3 with Carolina down and stopped the first 18 shots he faced. Eighteen straight. No feel for the game, no rhythm, just cold.

Then Mitch Marner got a penalty shot.

A golden chance to bury Carolina. Bussi denied him clean.

That save sparked everything. Four goals in the third period. A comeback win that kept the series at 2-1 instead of 3-0. One save changed the entire trajectory of this series.

Bussi is a right-catching goalie, which is rare enough that it changes how shooters approach him. Marner said he didn't even realize Carolina switched goalies until he was already in the crease. That's the kind of thing that matters in a series.

The other team doesn't know what they are looking at.

Can a goalie switch actually work in the Final?

Carolina has done this before.

In 2006, Peter Laviolette pulled Martin Gerber after two rough games against Montreal and handed the net to rookie Cam Ward. Ward won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Canes won the Cup.

Edmonton tried it last year.

Swapped goalies mid-Final and got an immediate boost. It didn't win them the series. But the point stands — goalie changes in the Final aren't crazy. Sometimes they change everything.

The 1970 Flyers are the only team in NHL history to climb out of a 3-1 Final deficit. Carolina isn't going down that road.

Game 4 is a must-win, period.

Brind'Amour has made his decision. He just won't say who. If it's Bussi, he's betting on a guy who just stole a game in relief and has the skills to confuse Vegas shooters. If it's Andersen, he's betting on a veteran who has looked broken for three straight games and may not even be healthy.

What should fans watch for in Game 4?

Game 4 tonight.

Watch which goalie touches the ice first during warmups. Watch how Brind'Amour's crew handles the pressure of a tight game with everything on the line.

If Bussi starts, watch whether Vegas shooters can figure out his glove side before he settles in.

The Golden Knights aren't going to feel sorry for Carolina. They aren't going to back off because the Canes have goalie drama. Vegas wants this Cup. One of these goalies decides this series. Brind'Amour knows it. He just won't tell us which one.

Frequently asked questions

Is Frederik Andersen injured?

Andersen took a knee to the head from Ivan Barbashev in Game 3 and did not practice Monday. Brind'Amour called it a maintenance day. But Bussi took all the starter's reps, which tells you everything about how the team is treating this.

Who is Pyotr Bussi?

Pyotr Bussi, Carolina's backup goalie, came into Game 3 and stopped 18 straight shots in relief before the Canes completed a four-goal third-period comeback.

Who starts in Game 4?

Brind'Amour has not announced. The decision could come during pre-game warmups. Watch which goalie takes the first shot from the slot.

Has a goalie ever won the Stanley Cup after replacing the starter mid-Final?

Yes. Cam Ward did it in 2006 for Carolina, taking over for Martin Gerber after two rough games.

Ward won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and led the Canes to the Cup.

How did the Stanley Cup Final get to this point?

The Golden Knights won the first two games.

Carolina stole Game 3 with a four-goal third period after Bussi entered in relief. The series continues tonight.