Heading into the postseason, the Hurricanes had faced a mountain of adversity with their goaltending. First, starter Freddie Andersen suffered a left leg injury that left him unavailable for the first round. Then Antti Raanta had a minor injury at the end of the regular season, returned for the playoffs and got hurt in a controversial collision with David Pastrnak at the beginning of Game 2.
Enter Pyotr Kochetkov, a growing cult hero.
The Russian rookie’s English has improved since he moved to North America earlier this season with the Chicago Wolves. Teammates say he can understand them pretty well, and he can communicate great via text, but he’s still getting the hang of the speaking part. As much as this adds to the legend, it’s a lot to ask of Kochetkov to jump into a starting NHL playoff role in an unfamiliar language.
“It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, but he definitely is not nervous. The moment hasn’t been too big for him,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday. “I think he’s done well. We’re asking a lot, a ton out of him, and he’s been solid.”
It’s helped to have fellow countryman Andrei Svechnikov around. Svechnikov has acted as a translator for Kochetkov among his teammates and coaches, and he extended the role to media liaison Saturday in between Games 3 and 4.
Below is a transcription of our first conversation with Kochetkov, translated by Svechnikov.