Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Gets nod for Opening Night start
Rotowire
Bussi will defend the home goal in Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Panthers, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
Bussi was exceptional for the Hurricanes in the 2025-26 season, which has paved the way for him to earn his first career Opening Night start. The 28-year-old netminder posted a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 39 regular-season outings before he closed the door on Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final, where he had a 3-1-0 record, a 1.60 GAA and a .931 save percentage in four appearances. He'll face off against the Florida Panthers, who added Brady Tkachuk in the offseason, adding to their offensive potential. Bussi is a strong No. 2 goalie option in fantasy hockey to open the 2026-27 season.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Blanks Preds in preseason finale
Rotowire
Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced in Saturday's 6-0 preseason win over Nashville.
Last season's breakout star in the crease for the Hurricanes wrapped up his preseason with an impressive three-period performance. He will split starts with Pyotr Kochetkov in 2026-27, but Bussi is the early favorite to handle the No. 1 role. Bussi posted a 2.47 GAA and won 31 games, including two via shutouts, in the 2025-26 regular season.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Facing Nashville
Rotowire
Bussi will defend the road net in Saturday's preseason matchup against Nashville, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Bussi posted a 31-6-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 39 regular-season appearances for Carolina in 2025-26. He will likely compete with Pyotr Kochetkov for playing time in the 2026-27 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Patrolling home crease
Rotowire
Bussi will guard the home crease in Tuesday's preseason contest against the Panthers, per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.
Bussi will get his first reps of preseason action Tuesday after Pyotr Kochetkov played in the team's opener. The 28-year-old Bussi was the surprise of the 2025-26 NHL season, where he posted a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 39 regular-season games. He's coming off a solid postseason as well, where he anchored the Hurricanes in the final four games of the Stanley Cup. He's in line to serve as the team's top option between the pipes to open the 2026-27 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Clinches Stanley Cup with shutout
Rotowire
Bussi posted a 22-save shutout in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Bussi won the last three games of the series to finish what Frederik Andersen started. The Hurricanes' defense did its part, and Bussi handled the rest to post his first career playoff shutout in the biggest game of his life. He allowed just six goals on 87 shots (.931 save percentage) over his four playoff appearances to help the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. After signing a three-year contract extension in February, Bussi is a virtual lock to open 2026-27 on the Hurricanes' NHL roster.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Earns win in Game 4
Rotowire
Bussi stopped 18 of 21 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Bussi got the start and delivered a decent performance to pick up the win while Frederik Andersen got some rest. It's too early to say if the Hurricanes have a goaltending controversy brewing, but Bussi has played well so far, allowing four goals on 40 shots over his two appearances in the postseason. The 27-year-old showed Tuesday he can perform when called upon, and it'd likely be a little easier for him if he happens to get the nod in Game 5 on home ice Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Set to start Game 4
Rotowire
Bussi will guard the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Bussi made a relief appearance in Game 3, stopping 18 of 19 shots. Frederik Andersen had operated as the Hurricanes' starter this postseason, but Bussi will now get the chance to turn the series around, which Vegas leads 2-1 heading into Tuesday. Bussi had a 31-6-2 record with a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 39 regular-season outings.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Shines in relief outing
Rotowire
Bussi stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief of Frederik Andersen in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Bussi's work allowed the Hurricanes to erase a four-goal deficit in the third period. That would up being all for naught -- a Shea Theodore shot off the back boards bounced around and evaded Bussi at 5:38 of the second overtime for the deciding goal. Still, it was a positive showing for a goalie who hadn't played since April 14 versus the Islanders. Andersen has been the Hurricanes' starter throughout the playoffs, but he's struggled against Vegas, so there's a possibility head coach Rod Brind'Amour turns to Bussi in Tuesday's Game 4.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen: Tending twine in Game 1
Rotowire
Andersen will protect the home goal versus Ottawa in Game 1 on Saturday, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.
The Hurricanes are going with Andersen's veteran presence in goal, rather than rookie Brandon Bussi, who saw the majority of the action during the regular season. Andersen was 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and a poor .874 save percentage over 35 appearances in 2025-26. Andersen gave up five goals on 30 shots in his lone appearance versus the Senators, a 6-3 loss April 5.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Sharp in Tuesday's finale
Rotowire
Bussi stopped 28 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Islanders.
Pyotr Kochetkov was supposed to start the regular-season finale and even took part in warmups. However, he was ineligible to play due to what the team described as a "roster technicality." As a result, Bussi was in action for a second straight night and played well. He wraps up his first NHL campaign with a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage. The 27-year-old netminder went 6-0-1 over his final seven starts with a 2.53 GAA and .887 save percentage. It's not yet clear which goalie will get the nod between the pipes when Carolina begins its postseason run.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Tending twine Tuesday
Rotowire
Bussi will guard the road net against the Islanders on Tuesday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.
Bussi is coming off a 21-save effort in Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia. He was a surprise starter for Tuesday's contest because Pyotr Kochetkov was ineligible to play due to a roster technicality.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Downed by Philly in shootout
Rotowire
Bussi turned aside 21 shots in regulation and overtime and three of four shootout attempts in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Flyers.
Carolina grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period, only for Philly to strike back with two tallies in the second. Bussi and Dan Vladar then shut down all the offense the rest of the way, until Tyson Foerster finally got a shot past the Hurricanes netminder in the fourth round of the shootout. Bussi hasn't taken a regulation loss since March 17, going 5-0-1 over his last six starts, but his 2.79 GAA and .869 save percentage during that time haven't exactly locked him into the No. 1 job in the crease for the team's postseason run.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Tending twine Monday
Rotowire
Bussi will guard the road goal against Philadelphia on Monday, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
Bussi has allowed 15 goals on 107 shots during his five-game winning streak. He has a 30-6-1 record with two shutouts, a 2.52 GAA and an .891 save percentage in 37 appearances this campaign. Since March 15, Philadelphia ranks fifth in the league with 3.64 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Picks up win Tuesday
Rotowire
Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Bussi has won his last three outings, allowing seven goals on 70 shots in that span. He let a 2-0 lead slip away in this game, but the Hurricanes rebounded late in the third period to secure the win. Bussi is up to 28-6-1 with a 2.44 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 35 appearances. Bussi and Frederik Andersen mostly alternated starts in March, so it might be Andersen who gets the rematch against the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Tending twine Tuesday
Rotowire
Bussi will guard the road goal against Columbus on Tuesday, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Bussi has won his last two outings while allowing five goals on 45 shots. He has posted a 27-6-1 record this campaign with two shutouts, a 2.45 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 34 appearances. Columbus is tied for 15th in the league with 3.12 goals per game this season.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Not busy in Saturday's win
Rotowire
Bussi turned aside 17 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Devils.
New Jersey took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Carolina took control the rest of the way and Bussi ended up cruising to his 27th win of the season. The rookie netminder has been inconsistent since the Olympic break, going 4-3-0 in seven starts with a 3.60 GAA and ,849 save percentage as he battles with Frederik Andersen for the top spot between the pipes heading into the playoffs.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Guarding home goal
Rotowire
Bussi is set to start at home against New Jersey on Saturday, per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News.
Bussi has surrendered at least three goals in five of his past six outings. That's put a damper on what has otherwise been a strong rookie campaign. He's 26-6-1 with a 2.47 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 33 outings with Carolina in 2025-26. New Jersey is 9-3-0 while averaging 4.00 goals per game across its past 12 matches.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Facing Maple Leafs
Rotowire
Bussi will patrol the visiting crease in Toronto on Friday, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
Bussi will look to snap a three-game losing streak, the first time this season he has lost more than one in a row. Bussi is 25-6-1 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.45 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 32 contests in 2025-26. The Maple Leafs are tied for 16th in NHL scoring, averaging 3.12 goals per game, but will be without the services of Auston Matthews, who underwent MCL surgery Thursday and is done for the remainder of the season.
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Hits rough patch
Rotowire
Bussi made 25 saves in a 5-1 loss to Columbus on Tuesday.
This game wasn't on Bussi per se, but he wasn't part of the solution either. Coach Rod Brind'Amour was blunt with reporters after the game: "If you're going to lose, that's probably the way you want to do it. You don't want to lose but play well. This was not a game we played well. Throw it away and come back tomorrow (against the Pittsburgh Penguins)." Bussi is on a personal three-game losing streak, and he's 2-3-0 in his last five starts. He has allowed at least four goals in four of those five games (.835).
... See More... See Less
Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Slated to start Tuesday
Rotowire
Bussi is expected to start Tuesday's road clash against the Blue Jackets, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
Bussi spent Monday's morning practice in the starter's crease, which is the main indicator that he'll likely draw Tuesday's start. Overall, the 27-year-old netminder has a 25-5-1 record, a 2.37 GAA and an .898 save percentage through 31 appearances this season. Since the Olympic break, he has struggled with a 2-2-0 record, a 3.81 GAA and an .835 save percentage across four outings. He'll look to get back on track Tuesday against the surging Blue Jackets, who have won five of their eight games in March.
