Brandon Bussi made his bussi nhl playoff debut Saturday when he entered for Frederik Andersen to start the third period of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Carolina Hurricanes still lost 5-4 in double overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena, but Bussi settled the game after a rough second period for Andersen.
Bussi Replaces Andersen
Andersen was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots in the second period. Bussi took over with the Hurricanes down in a game that had already swung through multiple review decisions, and he stopped the first 18 shots he faced before Shea Theodore ended it in the second overtime.
Theodore’s winner came on a shot that bounced off Bussi’s skate and into the net. That finish left the Hurricanes with a 5-4 loss after they had already survived one game-turning reset in goal.
Game 3 Pressure
Bussi’s appearance carried extra weight because it was his first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had spent this season moving from waiver pickup to NHL debut and then into a Final game, after the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers on Oct. 5 and he had signed with the Florida Panthers on July 1.
This season, Bussi finished 31-6-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average, a.895 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 starts. That record gave Carolina a second option behind Andersen, and the switch arrived after the starter had allowed five goals to the Golden Knights in Game 1 and three in the Hurricanes’ 4-3 overtime win in Game 2.
Hurricanes Goalie Load
Andersen’s postseason line still showed how much Carolina had leaned on him before Saturday. He was 13-2-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a.917 save percentage in 15 starts, and he had allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of his first 13 playoff starts before the Final tightened.
Saturday’s Game 3 also included two disallowed goals against Andersen. Mark Stone had a goal wiped out on an offside call, and Jack Eichel had one erased for goalie interference, so the change in net came after a night full of video reviews and a third period that needed a different look.
For Carolina, the immediate takeaway is simple: Bussi entered a Final game for the first time and gave the Hurricanes 18 clean saves before the Golden Knights finally broke through in double overtime. Andersen’s quick pull changed the rest of the night, and it put Bussi on the spot in the league’s biggest series.
