Bussi dazzles in net, Svechnikov and Jarvis strike as Hurricanes extend win streak. Brind'Amour praises crucial saves and offensive sparks.
The Carolina Hurricanes won their third game in a row Monday afternoon, beating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1.
Brandon Bussi had a standout performance, making 17 saves in the win, and both Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis scored in the win.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Bussi, Svechnikov and Jarvis spoke with the media. Here's what they had to say:
Rod Brind'Amour
On if this was Brandon Bussi's best game: Yeah, just based on a couple of the saves he made. Again, for a couple periods, it wasn't like there was a ton of opportunities, but they were all saves that made a difference. Obviously the one on the penalty kill where we pressed up and it turned into a 2-on-0 in front and he bails us out is very special. The other guys was playing good too. Their goalie made some pretty good saves too, so it was kind of a battle in net. Obviously our goalie came out on top.
On Eric Robinson's injury: I don't know the extent. I mean, he's going to be out, for sure, for a little while. I think he's gotta get checked out tomorrow, but obviously he couldn't return. That's not good. And Stanks got hurt, but he was able to come back, so that's good. I guess we'll know more tomorrow on him too.
On Brandon Bussi becoming a fixture on this team: Number one, any pro, really, you never get comfortable if you're good. That means you're always going to be trying to prove your worth every day that you are in this league and certainly in our locker room. So I think that's what he's referring to and that's what we want. Obviously your play has to back up your attitude, but he's got a great one and we're thrilled to have him.
On Andrei Svechnikov: If he's on the top line, he's got to score. I mean, at the end of the day, that's what has to happen. Those guys have to connect. I didn't love the penalty at the end, it wasn't much of a penalty, but certainly it put us in a jammer there, but we need him to be impactful and he was certainly tonight.
On if he thought Tage Thompson had scored on Bussi: Which one? Because I counted three times Thompson should have scored. But yeah, unfortunately when you've been around hockey enough and you know exactly what's happening... we almost get a turnover and everyone's going the other way because we're going to get a 3-on-1 and then they've got two guys hanging out and you see the play develop, you know it's going to go right back there. And he dove across and made a huge save. Save of the game, for sure, and maybe of the year. Tough to see a better save than that.
On the game: I thought we had a good first period. It was probably our best period. We gave them one, but it really wasn't a gimme. They made good plays. Their D are maybe the best D in the league as a whole group. They way they skate and get up the ice and that's what happened. They beat up up the ice and ripped a shot in the net. But other than that, I thought we did a pretty good job in the first period. It was a hard fought game. Both teams played well.
On the power play: We've kind of been in a little bit of a spell where we're not getting a ton of chances here the last couple of games, but it doesn't matter. Everyone always looks at the percentages and this and that, but every game starts 0-for-0. It has to count now. I don't care what you've done in the past, good or bad. Tonight, the first one was eh, we got a couple opportunities and then obviously we get our set, you win the draw clean, which is the biggest part of any power play, for me, because now you can run the play that you want, and we were able to connect. We needed it tonight.
On having players ready to go every night: I know I have the best staff in the league in terms of preparing guys. That's never really been a question in any game we've ever played. So I appreciate that. With our group, I think we have great leadership that helps to drag us in. The Groundhog Days that are going on here, you just have to find a way to perform at your best every night. That's what good players, good teams, elite teams do and that's what we're trying to be.
Brandon Bussi
On if his 2-on-0 save got him more dialed into the game: Maybe a little. I hadn't seen a lot of work up to that point. That might have been the fourth or fifth shot. I felt good prior to that, but I think that gave the arena, our team, myself a little bit of extra juice. Granted, I thought we played really, really well today. For pretty close to 60 minutes, I thought we played our game and limited their chances for the most part.
On Tage Thompson: Me and Tage go back. I played a year of youth hockey with him, so I guess when you see a name like that and with the season he's having and the accolades and his ability to put the puck in the net, you just kind of have to keep an eye out when he's on the ice. But it felt good to come up with some saves. Our defense overall kind of limited his looks.
On what the final few seconds of the game were like for him: Just keep the puck out of the net no matter what. Find a way. I think we had a lot of sacrifice, a lot of blocked shots. Our team was willing to do whatever it takes to win.
On if he feels he can play more free when the team has a lead: The more goals you get, the more free you can play. It's the NHL. There's going to be a lot of tight games. We need to be ready to play in those tight moments and see how we respond as a group. Good response today.
On if being in the NHL feels more regular to him now: I'll be frank with you, it'll never feel normal. I think this is what you dream about your whole life and I think that's a good thing for me. It doesn't mean that the lifestyle isn't normal. I'm fortunate to be able to do what I do for a living and being able to hear the crowd cheer us on, cheer me on. It's very cool. I don't think I'm a person that ever takes that for granted.
On if he feels the 2-on-0 save was his best of the year: ...the next one.
On the power play coming through: You see it as we're hitting the final stretch, obviously we have the Olympic break and stuff, but 5-on-5 is going to get tighter and tighter and special teams can be what makes or breaks you. It's been really reassuring to see our power play clicking. I felt confident in them the whole time even when it wasn't going in, but it's nice to see them get rewarded that's for sure.
On if he's glad to be a lefty: Every day I'm proud of it. It's a small union, so I gotta stay strong.
Andrei Svechnikov
On the game: Good game. Everyone grinded away. I think it was one of the hardest games. They play with speed, they're everywhere and it's always hard to play against those guys. I felt like we stuck with the game plan and obviously there was a lot of scrambles and all that stuff. You try to come to the bench and forget about it, but it happens and you just try to focus on the next shift.
On his goal: I think Fishy has set me up the last five goals here. We're just trying to go backdoor hard and I'm trying to win that space between me and the D. Obviously Fishy is one of the best playmakers and I knew he was gonna make that pass.
On getting a response goal after his line was scored against early: They score on our line, so you're always trying to get back. It was nice to score a couple shifts after. That was nice, definitely.
On Brandon Bussi's play: Another level. I think he just played an unbelievable game. He made the save of the year on the kill when they went back and forth, but yeah, that was the save of the year. He was unbelievable tonight.
Seth Jarvis
On Brandon Bussi: He was incredible. Didn't get tested too much early on, but that's what's so great about him. He stays in games and waits for his opportunities. Three or four unbelievable saves.
On his big saves: That just builds a lot of confidence in our team, gets the building going, which is always nice. I think when the fans get into it, we amp up our game a little bit and really put it on them, so big timely saves, whether it's saves, blocked shots, anything that gets the fans going is huge.
On the game: That's a good team over there. They definitely put it on us as of late and they're on a good run. Hats off to them. They played a great game and we're happy to come out of there. We stuck with our game and waited for our opportunities and that's how you win games in this league.
On the power play: There weren't many, but you have to be able to capitalize. That's how a lot of goals are scored, special teams, and that's how you win games. To be able to capitalize like we did and to be able to contribute like that was huge.
On his goal: I think the guy kind of got his stick on me where I didn't get a great shot, so it kicked right back out to me and I mean, when you're in that position, there's no other play really than to throw it to the net. Luckily he was kind of down and out a little bit, so I was able to sneak it in there.
On what Bussi means to the team: It's pretty self-explanatory watching any of his games or looking at the stats. He's been incredible and someone that we've leaned on heavily, especially with [Pyotr Kochetkov] going down. So to have him and Freddie back there, both guys playing really well, it just puts a lot of confidence in our game. For him to come up with timely saves, like I said before, is massive.
On where the team would be without Bussi: I don't know, but I'm happy we have him. I don't want to think like that.
On Andrei Svechnikov: He's just been aggressive. I think that's when he plays his best hockey, when he's in your face. Obviously they'll be some penalties taken, but I think everyone is fine with thar. When he's playing hard, playing heavy, hitting guys, yelling at guys, it gets the whole group going and I mean, he's red hot right now, so it's fun to be around him. Just try to find him and give him the puck whenever possible.
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