Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta will likely miss “at least a couple weeks” with a lower-body injury, per head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Raanta is in the midst of a tremulous season that’s seen him placed on waivers, play two AHL games, and record a .872 save percentage in 24 NHL games. But he’s remained a pivotal piece of the Hurricanes lineup, playing in just one fewer game than the team’s de facto starter Pyotr Kochetkov, largely thanks to the string of injuries facing the Hurricanes crease.
Raanta, 34, is facing the worst save percentage of his NHL career this season – with his last save percentage below .900 coming in his rookie season in 2013-14. His 11-year career has been marred by injuries, with Raanta only appearing in more than 30 games in one season just three times. The inconsistent health has limited him to being a career backup, despite posting 139 wins and a .915 save percentage in 277 career games. This includes his 2017-18 season when Raanta posted a .930 save percentage and 21 wins through 47 games with the Arizona Coyotes.
The Carolina Hurricanes have also shared that defenseman Brett Pesce is questionable for the team’s Saturday night game against the New Jersey Devils due to illness, per team reporter Walt Ruff. That could give way for Tony DeAngelo to make his way into the lineup. The 28-year-old DeAngelo has appeared in 22 games this season and scored nine points – a far step down from his usual productivity. The team will also be getting star winger Andrei Svechnikov back on Saturday, though, with the 23-year-old making his return after missing the last six games with an upper-body injury. Svechnikov has 30 points through 29 games this season, making him just one of two Hurricanes players scoring at a point-per-game pace.