With the Ducks on the brink of a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, Freddie will have to be on top of his game if the team wants to avoid a Game 7 in Anaheim.
When Matt Beleskey scored 45 seconds into overtime to salvage Game 5 for the Anaheim Ducks, there could not have been a person on Planet Earth who was more relieved at that moment than goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Having gifted the Chicago Blackhawks not one, not two, but three terrible goals, Andersen was on the brink of being eviscerated by the media and fans alike. Had Anaheim lost Game 5, it would not have been surprising to hear coach Bruce Boudreau name John Gibson the starter for Game 6 – that’s how bad Freddie was in the pivotal game.
Then Ryan Kesler and Beleskey did their thing, and Andersen was the goat no more . . . but that doesn’t stop us all from wondering how Freddie will do when the Ducks try to close out Chicago in Game 6 on the road.
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No one is trying to panic here – Freddie has had a great postseason, and one bad game does not a trend make. But goaltending was a big question mark for the Ducks heading into these playoffs. It’s not paranoid to wonder whether the law of averages is catching up to Andersen. After all, he has allowed nine goals in the past two games – just food for thought.
It is also worth noting that Andersen has yet to make it this far into the playoffs in his young career. He will not just be battling with his confidence following a shaky outing in Game 5; he will also be dealing with the pressure that comes with trying to close out a veteran team in order to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
No pressure!
For his part, Freddie is saying all of the right things:
Freddie stays positive after giving up 2 goals in Game 5. #NHLDucks @f_andersen30 https://t.co/0cmczy6uVx
— Stefanie (@MissPatrioticUS) May 27, 2015
Frederik Andersen: "I’m not getting down on myself because of two goals that I let in. I’m more of a pro than that." #Blackhawks #NHLDucks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) May 27, 2015
Frederik Andersen: "I don’t think I need to prove anything. I just know that I’ll be better and I’ll focus the way I need to."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) May 27, 2015
Frederik Andersen maintains his confidence, as do his Ducks teammates http://t.co/NBNGfd5GSO
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) May 27, 2015
All the eyes of Anaheim Ducks fans will be on Frederik Andersen, then, as Game 6 begins. Freddie is not the only player on the Ducks roster who will need to play the game of his life tonight, but I daresay that if he is only marginally better than he was in Game 5, there is going to be a Game 7 in Anaheim.
Let’s Go Freddie, and Lets Go Ducks!