Carolina Hurricanes starting goaltender Frederik Andersen was forced to leave Game 4 against the New Jersey Devils due to an injury sustained during the second period.
The incident occurred following a collision involving Devils forward Timo Meier. Meier`s skate reportedly got tangled with Andersen`s before contact was made with the goaltender`s head, causing him to fall backwards into his net.
Watch the collision as Timo Meier collides hard into Frederik Andersen. Following a review, no penalty was called on the play, and Pyotr Kochetkov subsequently replaced Andersen.
Initially, Meier was assessed a five-minute major penalty, but this call was overturned after a video review by the officials.
This collision marked the second time in the game a Devils player made contact with Andersen. Earlier, in the first period, Justin Dowling bumped into the goalie, and Andersen was slow to get back to his feet after that play.
With Carolina holding a 3-1 lead in the game and a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven first-round series, Pyotr Kochetkov took over goaltending duties for the Hurricanes.
Andersen was named the Hurricanes` primary goaltender for the playoffs and had won the team`s first two games before suffering a loss in the second overtime of Game 3. The 35-year-old netminder has posted a 1.48 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage so far in the post-season.
Tristan Blackwood