- Brandon Bussi made his first NHL playoff start and stopped 18 shots in a 5-3 Game 4 win
- Rod Brind’Amour sat Frederik Andersen because the veteran “needs a little break”
- Read below for how the surprise goalie call evened the Cup Final at 2-2
Rod Brind’Amour kept his starting goalie a mystery right up until warmups.
The answer was Brandon Bussi, and it worked out just fine.
The 27-year-old made his first NHL playoff start in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday and stopped 18 shots in a 5-3 Carolina win at T-Mobile Arena. The result evened the series with Vegas at 2-2.
Brind’Amour didn’t make it complicated. He said the call came out of a quick chat with goalie coach Paul Schonfelder.
“He said Freddie needs a little break,” Brind’Amour said. “OK, so we went with the other guy.”
Andersen had started all 16 of Carolina’s playoff games before Tuesday. The 36-year-old got pulled in Game 3 after allowing four goals on 16 shots through two periods of a 5-4 double-overtime loss.
Bussi closed out that night in relief and stopped 18 of 19, which made the switch an easier sell.
Brind’Amour committed to the break all the way. Andersen didn’t even dress as the backup, with third goalie Pyotr Kochetkov taking that spot instead.
He explained why he kept Andersen out of uniform entirely.
“If you’re going to give him a break, you need to give him a break,” Brind’Amour said. “So, to me, him dressing, and going through all that, that’s not really giving him a night off.”
Bussi looked the part early. He robbed Mark Stone on a short-handed breakaway on the first shot he faced, 2:13 into the game.
Carolina had already jumped ahead by then. Logan Stankoven scored at 1:06 and Jackson Blake made it 2-0 at 3:28.
A Sound Beach, New York, native, Bussi had a rooting section in the building. His parents scrambled to Las Vegas after his fiancee and her family came out for Game 3.
Bussi talked about what the night meant to him.
“Obviously, it’s cool to help the team win,” Bussi said. “And in regards to the future, whatever happens, I’ll be ready to go.”
Jordan Staal handled the rest, scoring the winner to push the series back even at 2-2. Carolina has a goalie question worth having heading into Game 5.
