Bussi starts CAR, Andersen's status murky
Brandon Bussi will get his second consecutive start in Game 5. Last time out, in his playoff debut, Bussi played well enough for Carolina to pick up the win. He stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced, and in the process Bussi made some big-time saves while also enduring a couple shaky moments. According to Natural Stat Trick, Bussi was the slightest of ticks above average with 0.06 GSAA.
Behind Bussi, there are more questions. In Game 4, Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup, and Frederik Andersen was scratched with Rod Brind'Amour insisting all three goalies were healthy. Just hours before Game 5, the Canes recalled Amir Miftakhov from the AHL's Chicago Wolves. He and Andersen will serve as the emergency goalies for Carolina.
What happens behind Bussi at this point is somewhat irrelevant. Can he outplay Golden Knights counterpart Carter Hart, who is the first goalie to allow at least four goals in each of the four games of the Stanley Cup Final? Neither team has gotten stellar goaltending, but can Bussi change that and give his Hurricanes an edge there?
