The Carolina Hurricanes had Brandon Bussi in the starter’s crease in practice on Monday ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said Monday was a maintenance day for Frederik Andersen, who has started every game in the playoffs for Carolina.
Brind’Amour did not name his starting goaltender for Tuesday’s Game 4.
Bussi took over in the third period of Saturday’s 5-4 loss in double overtime that gave the Vegas Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the series. Frederik Andersen allowed four goals in a disastrous second period, and departed having stopped just 12 of 16 shots in his 40 minutes of work. Bussi allowed one goal - the overtime winner - in 45:26 of ice time in a strong showing.
The 27-year-old Bussi has not started a game in net for the Hurricanes since April 14 against the New York Islanders - a 2-1 victory for Carolina.
The rookie netminder made 39 starts in the regular season with a spectacular 31-6-2 record, where he registered an .894 save percentage and had a 2.47 goals-against average.
Carolina is in real danger in this series if they fall behind 3-1 in the series, as TSN’s Travis Yost detailed earlier on Monday. Vegas has been the better team in 5-on-5 play, meaning Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour will have more questions than just the play of the goaltender to contend with, but it appears he is ready to experiment with new personnel groupings as Carolina tries to claw back into this series.
