After a slump, Bussi delivers a pivotal performance, regaining confidence and solidifying his playoff crease aspirations against the Devils.
The post Olympic stretch has not been the easiest set of games in Brandon Bussi's short but astounding NHL career.
The Carolina Hurricanes' 27-year-old rookie netminder went from breaking records every other night to struggling to find consistency, resulting in just a 3-3-0 record and an abysmal 0.844 save percentage.
It got to the point where the Hurricanes even moved him out of the favored rotation he had enjoyed for months, allowing Frederik Andersen back-to-back starts for the first time since November.
With all this coming following him signing a three-year extension as well, there was a bit of worry if maybe the magic had run out.
So it's safe to sat that Saturday's game looked to be a potential tipping point for Bussi, especially in terms of potentially competing for the crease come playoff time.
But luckily for him, he was ready to make a difference.
Bussi backstopped Carolina to a 5-2 victory Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils, stopping 17 shots in the win.
While it might not seem like the most impressive numbers, if you watched how he played, you saw a much more confident netminder than perhaps the previous few games.
Bussi was maybe a little rough in the opening minutes, but he really started to build a game as time went on, including making a few notable saves, including a few in-alone looks from the slot on Nico Hischier and Jonathan Kovacevic.
"It's all about making the saves you're supposed to and then if you can even get a couple ones in there, some timely ones in there, that's what really happened in this game," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "There weren't a bunch, but there were a few that could have changed the whole outcome of the game. He was solid. That's what we need."
The only two goals Bussi was beat on each came on 2-on-1 plays for New Jersey, so overall, I thought nothing was his fault nor were there any "easy" goals, something that has been a bit of an issue since the break.
He looked confident and poised in the net and that's a good thing for a Hurricanes team looking for consistent goaltending.
"I feel good right now," Bussi said. "Honestly, the last stretch was a combination of some bad bounces and, yeah, I didn't play as well as I would have liked. So when you have both of those going your way, it's not a good recipe. But I felt good the last few games. I think some pucks have found some holes, but I feel like if I keep playing the way I have at least these last two games, I'm gonna continue to have more success. Felt good tonight."
Recent Articles
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.