Unsolved mysteries: Why Carolina Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta plays so well at home

His record is so ridiculously good that Antti Raanta doesn’t like dwelling on it.

Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Flyers, the Carolina Hurricanes’ goalie was 23-2-2 in his past 27 appearances at PNC Arena, with a 1.98 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and six shutouts.

Why so good on home ice?

“I don’t know,” Raanta said. “Probably has something to do with the team, also.”

That said, Raanta let out a laugh. The Finn had dead-panned the answer perfectly but couldn’t hold back during a recent N&O interview.

“It’s not the easiest building to come in and play,” Raanta said. “When we put our best foot forward and we come out of the gate fast and have 20 shots in the first 10 minutes or something like that, it’s not easy for the other team.

“And obviously, we have that energy from the crowd. It’s always fun at ‘The PNC.’”

Raanta give Canes a boost

The Canes routinely sell out and the noise level can be oppressive for visiting teams. The Canes’ marketing people like to call it the “loudest house in the NHL,” and it is one of the loudest..

“Obviously you hear the highs and the lows,” Raanta said. “When it’s a bad goal allowed you can hear the frustration. But the fans support you in good times and bad times. You feed off the energy. And when things are good. ...”

It’s loud.

And it often has been good when Raanta has been in net.

“When he’s feeling it, you can see he just has good body language and the puck just finds him,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He always seems to make those one or two saves a night where he shouldn’t. When he’s on, you see those spectacular ones, and those give you the biggest boost on the bench.”

After playing 11 of their first 15 games on the road this season, the Canes now have a five-game homestand and have seven of the next eight at PNC Arena. With goalie Frederik Andersen out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue, Raanta could get a lot of work on his favorite sheet of ice.

Spending time with ‘true crime’

While a goalie’s job is easily defined — stop the puck — there is a difference, Raanta said, in home and road games, and not just playing in differing arenas and varying ice conditions.

“On the road you always stare at the clock and when is the bus leaving, and those things,” Raanta said. “You have your phone in your hand all the time and always looking at the clock.”

In other words, too much dead time waiting for the game.

At home, Raanta can spend some afternoon time with the wife and kids, get a goodbye hug and head out to the arena. It’s a drive that takes 15 to 20 minutes, he said. It allows him some alone time, and he mixes it up the commute sometimes taking the Interstate and sometimes back roads

Raanta said he once had a playlist of songs for the ride but now often listens to Finnish podcasts.

“True crime things,” he said.

True crime? That’s the drive-to-work go-to for Antti Raanta?

Seems Raanta will see a crime documentary on Netflix and want to hear an updated podcast about it.

“Lots of mysteries,” he said. “Like what happened and no one knows for sure and the case is still open. Those are interesting, always.”

For those wondering about his mindset heading to home games, there’s an insight. Nothing like a podcast on an unsolved ax murder to get the blood flowing for a game.

Raanta said he likes to arrive at the arena two hours and 20 minutes before game time, saying, “If you get there too early you end up sitting there and staring at the clock and killing time.”

Once at the arena and at his locker, Raanta said he does listen to music. Soon, it’s game time.

‘We’re going to be asking a little more’

In his two previous seasons with the Canes, Raanta, 34, has backed up Andersen, playing in 28 regular-season games in 2021-22 and 27 last season. Like Andersen, he has had his share of injury issues, but said he is motivated to play as many games as needed..

“Over the years his workload hasn’t been that high but obviously now we’re going to be asking a little more,” Brind’Amour said.

In six starts this season, Raanta is 4-2-0 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .877 save percentage. He allowed four goals in each of three road games — including the loss Friday at Florida — but in his two home games shut out San Jose with 20 saves and was the winner last week as the Canes topped the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

It was against the Sabres that Raanta skated out of net to make a poke check — in the circle. Everyone, it seemed, had some fun with that one after the game including the goalie.

Pyotr Kochetkoiv, recently recalled from the AHL, had the shutout Saturday on the road as the Canes beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 and will get more work. Carolina also has veteran goalie Jaroslav Halak working with the team on a PTO as another potential option until Andersen returns.

“We didn’t play bad early in the season,” Raanta said. “It was pretty much the things that could go wrong were going wrong for us. As the goalie, I felt I could make those saves. I felt I could do way better. We were chasing the game all the time and it takes a lot of energy to come back in this league, especially on the road.

“But I think we’re getting back to what we’re all about. When we get the cycle game going and that pressure game and pucks to the net, that’s when we’re successful.”