The Bruins goaltender had 29 saves in the convincing preseason performance.
BOSTON – The TD Garden faithful rose to its feet in booming ovation as Brandon Bussi sprawled over to the right side of the crease, flashing his glove and absolutely robbed a New York Rangers power play opportunity.
The 6:03 third period save on Jonny Brodzinski was just one of the Boston Bruins goaltender’s highlight reel plays in the 3-0 win on Sunday, but it confirmed the narrative that had been building all game: Bussi is here to play.
The 25-year-old posted a 29-save shutout in the preseason opener against the Rangers, backstopping a convincing effort from a majority of the B’s lineup.
“Just a wild experience overall. I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of a crowd that excited, that much energy, and it’s only preseason,” Bussi told reporters postgame. “It’s a testament to how great our fans are and it was just a super exciting experience to do it here for the first time.”
Bussi spent the 2022-23 season with AHL Providence after signing his initial one-year, entry-level contract with Boston in March 2022, fresh out of NCAA action with Western Michigan University. Through 32 games played, he posted a 22-5-4 record, .924 save percentage and 2.40 goals-against average.
“So much learning through the coaching staff, the vet players, just playing, seeing different places; everything was just an overall learning experience,” Bussi said of his time in Providence. “I definitely feel a lot more comfortable being here for training camp this year than last year.”
The netminder inked a one-year, two-way extension in June and is evidently making the most of the opportunity. While Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are the proven go-to tandem for the Bruins this season, the squad’s got another reliable option in the pipeline with Bussi.
“Having the opportunity to practice with ‘Sway’ [Swayman] and Linus [Ullmark] obviously is awesome, and being able to learn from them, I think their track record speaks for how skilled they are and what they’ve done,” Bussi said.
The Bruins’ confidence and flair grew each period, likely bolstered by Bussi’s sturdiness between the pipes. A poke check on a Jimmy Vesey rush and quick-reaction stop on Alex Belzile showed the strength in Bussi’s positioning, puck tracking and poise that he carried throughout 60 minutes.
The guy was seeing – and stopping – everything.
“He’s a gamer,” Johnny Beecher, who scored the Bruins’ third goal, said. “I think the biggest thing about Bussi is he’s an amazing guy and everybody in the locker room loves him and everybody’s rooting for him. He’s done a spectacular job since he signed with the program.”
For coach Jim Montgomery, it was a pleasant surprise for Bussi to put on that show-stopping performance in a preseason matchup. He credited the goalie for reading the double slot line play on the Brodzinski save.
“That was unreal,” Montgomery said. “He’s a late bloomer who just keeps getting better.”
Matthew Poitras, who had quite the night himself, notching two points (one goal, one assist), wasn’t surprised by Bussi’s theatrics. He’s seen them before.
“It’s unbelievable. He did the exact same thing last year when I went down to Providence at the end of the year and they were playing in the playoffs, the exact same saves,” Poitras said.
While an opening night lineup spot isn’t exactly what Bussi is battling for in this year’s training camp, he’s begun to show the Bruins organization a heightened level of his play and tangible improvement over the last year or so.
Bussi got The Garden buzzing like a night in late October and, for now, has claimed the B’s save of the season.
“I think I was just more excited for the opportunity. I worked really hard last year and kind of climbed the ladder in a way,” Bussi said. “You just compete and see what happens.”