The Carolina Hurricanes' Rod Brind'Amour chose to swap out Frederik Andersen for Brandon Bussi midway through Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after Andersen gave up four straight tallies in the middle frame versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

Yet this move highlighted a growing trend where NHL clubs find it tougher to rely on one netminder for the full postseason.

In past eras clubs maintained a defined number one and a reserve. The top option often handled 60 to 70 regular season contests and nearly every playoff minute unless the score was lopsided while the backup handled the balance.

Clear number ones are rarer today. Utah's Karel Vejmelka was the lone goalie to hit 60 starts this year while 18 others reached 50 or more. Reserves once saw 10 to 20 appearances but now often exceed 30.

Carolina opened with Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov sharing duties until Kochetkov had lower body surgery in December ending his regular season and prompting Bussi's call up from the AHL. Bussi appeared in a team best 39 games and Andersen in 35.

Andersen avoided more than two straight starts in the regular season yet strung together 15 in the playoffs before Brind'Amour went to Bussi for Game 4. The coach named Kochetkov the reserve aiming to rest Andersen. Bussi stopped 18 shots in Game 4 to tie the series at two wins apiece and added 23 more in Game 5 to give Carolina a 3-2 lead.

Uneven results and injuries forced Vegas to use four netminders during the regular season. Akira Schmid topped the club with 34 starts and 16 wins but sat as a healthy scratch this postseason. Adin Hill the 2023 Cup winner has backed up Carter Hart.

The 27 year old Hart returned in December after NHL reinstatement following acquittal in the 2018 world junior case. He started 18 regular season games but has now opened 22 straight through Game 5.

After Bussi stepped in for Andersen nine of 16 teams have used multiple goalies this postseason with six reaching the second round.

Those six clubs handled their goalies in varied ways. Buffalo leaned on both heavily at times. Colorado and Minnesota switched to spark offense. Anaheim and Montreal gave their backups starts to let starters recover after tough outings.

"When you reach the playoffs the total games played across the year adds up" Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon noted. "That is what you see around the league now as some clubs are accustomed to it all season so there is little reason to change."

DALLAS STARS COACH Glen Gulutzan shared with ESPN in April that his Edmonton assistant stint taught him much about tandem management.

His knowledge grew from working with goalie Mike Smith during three playoff runs in Edmonton.

"An extra practice day or one reset session with the goalie coach plus solid video work can help a netminder greatly" Gulutzan said. "If a series suggests your goalie needs a reset it is an advantage to have another who can win a game."

In Gulutzan's final two seasons with the Oilers under Kris Knoblauch he gained deeper insight into the complexities of handling two goalies during a Cup Final push.

In the 2024 playoffs Edmonton mostly used Stuart Skinner but switched to Calvin Pickard for two games in round two before Skinner returned to close the series. Skinner played 23 postseason games and Pickard three.

In 2025 Knoblauch employed a fuller tandem. Skinner dropped the first two first round games then Pickard won the next four. Pickard opened the second round but an injury in Game 2 brought Skinner back. Skinner started 11 straight until replaced by Pickard in Game 4 of the Final. Pickard added two more starts before Skinner returned for Game 6.

Gulutzan learned from Knoblauch the value of constant communication with goalies especially when informing Skinner of a path back despite Pickard starting.

"It is such a long run that riding one the entire way can be difficult" Gulutzan said. "Over a two and a half month stretch you may need another due to fatigue momentum or possible injuries."

Under Jared Bednar the Avalanche have shifted between traditional and tandem approaches. In 2024-25 they acquired Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood forming a top pairing. In 2025-26 the duo helped the Avs post the league's best regular season mark.

Bednar noted wider tandem use partly because few goalies like Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy can handle over 60 starts yearly.

Vasilevskiy the Vezina winner this year has exceeded 50 starts in nine of the past 10 seasons. His only sub 50 year came in the shortened 2020-21 schedule when he started 42. Only Connor Hellebuyck has more starts than Vasilevskiy since 2017-18.

"It is the comfort of repeating what worked in the regular season" Bednar said. "If you reached the playoffs as a strong team and advanced using both goalies then you may need both to keep advancing."

Wedgewood started 43 games this season and Blackwood 36. Bednar started Wedgewood in the playoffs for a first round sweep of Los Angeles but pulled him in Game 3 of round two with Blackwood taking Game 4. Blackwood won that contest but was removed after one period of Game 5 as the Avs rallied with Wedgewood back in net to win the series.

Bednar stayed with Wedgewood in the conference finals versus Vegas until an 0-3 hole prompted a switch to Blackwood who stopped 24 of 26 shots though the Avs were swept.

"The playoffs differ greatly" Bednar said before the conference finals. "Mental fatigue and the stress of play travel and constant movement factor in. Without long homestands fatigue hits both mentally and physically making peak performance harder."

"That explains why more clubs use two goalies even for a game or two."

Tortorella noted coaches are open about trust in a two goalie setup.

"We have Carter playing well" Tortorella said before the conference finals. "But Hilly is a Cup winner and we trust him. We have not gone there because Carter has performed so well and we stayed with him. It is not about fixing what works but having the option. Coaches and teams are not afraid to use it given that trust."

GULUTZAN WAS HIRED by the Stars partly because he helped the Oilers reach back to back Finals beating Dallas in the conference finals both times.

Those experiences with Smith and watching Knoblauch manage the Skinner Pickard pair provided a base.

"Any relationship with goalies or players requires talk" Gulutzan said. "You must be truthful about your thinking so the player feels at ease sharing theirs."

Gulutzan stressed that ties among head coach goalie coach and goalies form the core allowing tough talks when needed such as pulling one for a playoff win.

His hiring followed the Stars' dismissal of Peter DeBoer who led them to three straight West finals. The firing came after elimination by Edmonton in Game 5 where Jake Oettinger was pulled after two early goals.

Post loss DeBoer's bond with Oettinger faced scrutiny. DeBoer had a year left on his deal while Oettinger was entering an eight year contract at 8.25 million per season.

Oettinger who has topped 54 starts in four straight regular seasons told ESPN in April that today's NHL goalies must accept imperfection.

"After my first year I was pulled in the playoffs and learned each game stands alone" Oettinger said. "You cannot dwell on allowing 10 goals in Game 1 for Game 2. The playoffs allow strong play yet a hook 10 minutes into the next game. That is both the gift and burden of the position."

Jake Oettinger makes big-time save late in the 2nd period

Wedgewood said the need for multiple goalies has grown because play has shifted more east to west. Opponents often control extended offensive zone time making defense tougher. He noted added body movements and the return of international events to the schedule.

"The torque on the body and current game style means it is not just four players but a full 20 man roster" Wedgewood said. "Even with under 25 shots you are up and down near 100 times constantly moving."

Many view a goalie's load only by shots faced but other measures like movements matter too.

Up up down down left right left right. The opening Konami Code steps mirror a goalie's likely pattern even without facing shots. Wedgewood said a goalie may record 60 up and down moves plus turns and reads that accumulate.

"The mechanical side also plays a role" Wedgewood said. "Micro movements that count as exertion separate things now."