When the second round continues tonight in Raleigh, the Rangers will see a different goalie in net for the Hurricanes.

After facing Frederik Andersen in the first two games of the best of seven series, they’ll face Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov went 23-13-4 with a 2.33 goals-against-average (GAA), .911 save percentage, and four shutouts in his first full season.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour wants to give Andersen a rest. Kochetkov performed well following a players-only meeting last December – winning 19 games and posting a .923 save percentage. It’ll be his first appearance since Apr. 14.

In 2022, he played in two games against the Rangers in the second round. Kochetkov relieved Antti Raanta in a 5-2 loss in Game 6. He made 10 saves on 12 shots. In Game 7, he allowed three goals on 12 shots before Raanta replaced him. The Rangers won 6-2 to take the series.

During the regular season, Kochetkov went 1-1-0 with a 1.02 GAA and .962 save percentage against the Rangers. He stopped 51 of 53 shots.

When told that Kochetkov was starting tonight’s game, Mika Zibanejad indicated that it doesn’t change anything. “We’ll just have to try to keep shooting,” he said.

Evgeny Kuznetsov also returns for the Hurricanes. He was a healthy scratch in Game 2. Max Comtois replaced him. Kuznetsov is obviously a better offensive player than Comtois.

As expected, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will go with the same lineup. He doesn’t make any changes when they’re winning. They’re 6-0 in the playoffs.

That means Matt Rempe remains on the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey. Erik Gustafsson and Jacob Trouba are still the third pair.

It would be wise if Laviolette tried to change on the fly. You can’t have Gustafsson and Trouba caught on against the Hurricanes top line. Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel are coming off a strong Game 2. Aho had three assists, and Guentzel scored twice. Andrei Svechnikov picked up a helper but took two more penalties. They spent a lot of time in the Rangers’ zone.

It’ll be interesting to see how Rempe is handled. He obviously is officiated differently. An effective player, due to his size and strength, he’s proven capable on the forecheck. He must pick his spots when finishing checks during shifts.

The fourth line has been solid thus far in the postseason. They chip pucks in and go to work. Utilizing Rempe in the offensive zone makes sense. Limit him defensively.

In order to be successful, the Rangers must avoid penalties. They can’t keep putting Carolina on the power play. Eventually, they’re going to take advantage. Trouba must maintain his discipline. He was penalized three times in Game 2.

At five-on-five, they will want to forecheck more in the Hurricanes’ zone. It’s up to the top two lines to do a better job. It can’t always come from the bottom six. Make the Canes play defense and test Kochetkov early. Create traffic.

The Hurricanes have had the edge in offensive zone time. They’re a good transition team who can use their speed to pin the Rangers in. They like to create offense off the wall by pinching defensemen. An area they were better at in the second game.

The Rangers should not cede the blue line as much. Don’t back up. Make it harder on Carolina to gain the zone. That would help offset some of their zone time.

Puck management is a key. Don’t throw away pucks in the neutral zone. Make sure to get pucks deep. Make the Canes work harder. They outshot the Rangers 57-39 on Tuesday.

Cover the slot area. There were too many opportunities for the Canes in the slot. Fortunately, Igor Shesterkin was up to the challenge. That trend can’t continue. Taking away what Carolina likes to do would make it tougher for them to create offense.

Control faceoffs. The Canes were pretty successful on draws until overtime. At one point, they led 34-21. By the conclusion of Game 2, the Rangers closed to 50-44. Vincent Trocheck will need to be better. He went 13 and 31. He’s by far the Rangers’ best faceoff guy.

Start quickly. The Hurricanes play in one of the loudest buildings in the league. Their fans will be amped up from the start. If the Rangers can play smart hockey and spend some time in the Canes’ end, they can quiet the Caniacs. An early goal would help the cause.

Expect the Canes to be desperate. They need to win this game to get back in the series. We’ll see how the Rangers handle it.