- Brandon Bussi made 23 saves in a 4-2 Game 5 win, pushing Carolina to a 3-2 lead in the Cup Final
- He became the first goalie in NHL history to win each of his first two career playoff starts in the Final
- Read below for the Bussi chants, the Andersen situation, and what Game 6 looks like
Brandon Bussi is one win from a Stanley Cup, and a year ago he had not started a single NHL game.
He stopped 23 shots in a 4-2 win over Vegas on Thursday at Lenovo Center, pushing the Hurricanes to a 3-2 lead in the Final. He also became the first goalie in NHL history to win each of his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final.
The home crowd has already adopted him:
Those chants rolled down from the stands all night, loudest after Bussi robbed Brett Howden with the glove early in the third period. Howden came in with 14 playoff goals to his name. Bussi shut the door and the building came apart.
Watch the Game 5 highlights:
None of this was the plan. Frederik Andersen started Carolina’s first 16 games of the postseason and looked like the guy who would carry them.
Then the Final happened. Andersen gave up 12 goals on 65 shots across the first three games, and Rod Brind’Amour pulled him in Game 3. Bussi finished that night, started Game 4, and has not handed the net back. Andersen did not dress again on Thursday.
Captain Jordan Staal talked about what Bussi has given them since stepping in.
“The guy’s been unbelievable,” Staal said. “He’s been great all year long and he battles and finds ways to make big saves and gives you a chance.”
This is the same goalie who led the Hurricanes with 39 starts in the regular season and went 31-6-2. A waiver claim before the year, he was the busiest netminder on the roster, and now he is the one trying to close out a championship.
Bussi was asked if he had let himself picture being this close. He waved it off.
“No. This series we’ve been trailing a lot and honestly, I think we need to keep that mindset,” Bussi said. “We need to be hungry.”
His family has been along for the whole ride:
Carolina can win its first Stanley Cup since 2006 with a victory in Game 6 on Sunday in Las Vegas. Staal scored for the fifth straight game on Thursday, and Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho did the rest.
If the Hurricanes finish it Sunday, the waiver-wire goalie nobody was chanting for in October gets to lift the Cup.
