NEWARK, N.J. — Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen left Game 4 on Sunday after Timo Meier collided with him in the second period. Pyotr Kochetkov replaced him in net.

Early in the second period, Meier skated to the Carolina net to try to redirect an Ondrej Palat pass. He made contact with Andersen as he charged into the crease, sending the goalie sprawling into the net. Officials blew the play dead, and Carolina’s trainer came onto the ice. Andersen eventually skated off without assistance.

Officials originally gave Meier a five-minute major penalty for the play, but after video review, it was deemed that there was no penalty on the play.

After the second period, the Devils announced that Andersen would not return. Prospect Ruslan Khazheyev, 20, became available as the team’s emergency backup.

Andersen has had a strong start to the playoffs for Carolina. He had a .943 save percentage through Carolina’s first three games and stopped six of the seven shots he saw before the Meier collision.

A knee injury kept Andersen to 22 games in the regular season, and he finished the year with an .899 save percentage. Kochetkov was the Hurricanes’ primary goalie in the regular season. He had an .897 save percentage in 47 games. He started one game for the Hurricanes in the 2024 playoffs, an overtime loss to the New York Rangers in the second round.

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)