Ex-Panthers Goaltender Steps Into The Crease For The Hurricanes As Their Comeback Attempt Falls Short; Could He Start Game 4?

On Saturday night, with Game 3 in Vegas after an emotional Game 2 win, the Carolina Hurricanes were looking to take a series lead in the Stanley Cup final.

The game started fairly similarly to the previous two. Carolina controlled most of the play in the first period, but in the second period, the Vegas Golden Knights flipped the script.

Through the first two games, the Golden Knights have outscored the Hurricanes 3-1, but in Game 3, they scored four goals, highlighted by a hat trick by Mitch Marner.

To start the third period, trailing by four goals, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour pulled goaltender Frederik Andersen out of the crease in favor of ex-Florida Panther netminder Brandon Bussi.

“There’s no reason to leave Freddie in there the way that game was going… (Bussi) gave us a chance,” said Brind’Amour. “The overtime winner is a tough break. I hate it for him, because he was playing great.”

Bussi was put to the test to stop a Marner penalty shot and succeeded. That changed momentum, as the Hurricanes pulled off a four-goal comeback, which included three goals in 39 seconds. The Hurricanes were able to send a second consecutive game to overtime, but luck wasn’t on their side.

The Hurricanes drove play to start the first overtime stanza, but their pressure slowly fizzled out. In the second overtime frame, Shea Theodore fired a slap shot from the point that missed the net but ricocheted off the boards, off Bussi’s foot, and into the goal.

Pair Of Former Panthers Have Opportunity To Win Stanley Cup With The Hurricanes

Pair Of Former Panthers Have Opportunity To Win Stanley Cup With The Hurricanes Former Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Reilly and goaltender Brandon Bussi will have the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

With the tally, the Golden Knights took an emotional Game 3 victory by a score of 5-4.

Bussi turned away 18 of the 19 shots he faced, but it wasn’t enough. Although could it be enough for coach Brind’Amour to consider turning to Bussi for Game 4? Andersen hasn’t been as stoic as he was in the first three rounds, and the Hurricanes will need a spark in Game 4.

“We’ll figure all that out later,” said the Canes bench boss about the goaltending situation in Game 4. “We’ve got a couple of days to reassess how we’re going to go about the next game.”

It’s a difficult decision that Brind’Amour will have to ponder between now and Tuesday.

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.

Read the full article here