There is a big hurdle in Coach Mikael Gath’s way to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and that’s Team USA. With a loaded roster that’s full of offensive talent which has the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and Auston Matthews among others, Denmark needs a way to deflect as much goals as possible. However, eyebrows raised when they notified the public that Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen would not be starting.

Questionable decisions at Milano Cortina

You read that right! Coach Gath and Denmark will not be starting Andersen against Team USA. Whether or not he also comes off the bench is still up in the air but this could cost them a lot. The goal disparity might be huge if the Hurricanes goalie would not be there to stall the opposing offense. So, why did Denmark make this choice?

Coach Gath said it all boils down to schedule, via Nicholas J. Costonika of NHL.com.

“I’m not going to start Andersen tomorrow. We have a bad schedule. We’re playing 9 o’clock against U.S., and then we play early against Latvia the day after, and we have three good goalies,” the Team Denmark head coach declared about the Hurricanes goalie.

When the statistics are crunched, Denmark lags behind the USA with a respectable margin. Coach Mike Sullivan’s decision to have Connor Hellebuyck start has given them a 94.4% save percentage. Denmark, on the other hand, has only managed to notch an 88.46% save percentage when they lost to Leon Draisaitl’s Germany.

More than that, Denmark also lacks the depth in the goalie position. Aside from Andersen, Mads Sogaard from the Ottawa Senators is the only likely player that will step up. This pales in comparison to guys like Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jake Oettinger. Will this mean that the Danes are resting Andersen for better chances of winning? 

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