Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
There’s no denying the fact that Frederik Andersen is a great goalie and certainly a great fit for the Anaheim Ducks. When he started coming up as Jonas Hiller’s backup, he impressed the league with his consistent play and calm exterior. In fact, he played well enough to take the starting position away from Hiller and got to start in the playoffs until he was replaced by Hiller after some mediocre play. When Andersen got hurt, the Ducks called up John Gibson to take the reigns. Gibson was certainly up to the task.
After the Ducks let go of Hiller, the question this season became who would play at the beginning of the season. While Andersen and Gibson were battling it out, Gibson got hurt so the position was pretty much Freddy’s for the taking.
In the latter half of the season, the question is now not whether or not Andersen is a good goalie, but whether he is up to the task of being a Stanley Cup winning goalie.
His stats are certainly good this season. As the starter for NHL leading Ducks, the Danish netminder has won 27 of his 40 starts with a 2.27 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. However, what’s most impressive is his ability to stay clam and not panic in situations, a perfect trait for a high-pressure situation like the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kayla Demint is an Anaheim Ducks writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow her on Twitter, Like her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
