The biggest point of conversation going into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final had to do with the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltending situation, and that’s still a point of conversation as the team is once again staying quiet about who will be between the pipes for Game 5 in Raleigh.
But there may be a clue.
Ahead of Game 4 between the Canes and Vegas Golden Knights, the question was whether Frederik Andersen — who had started all the team’s postseason games to that point — would be in net for Carolina, or if Brandon Bussi, who came into Game 3 as a backup and played well, would get his first career postseason start.
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The team ended up going with Bussi (backed up by Pyotr Kochetkov with Andersen not in the lineup), and while it was another high-scoring game, the Canes came out with the win.
So, you’d think that they’d continue with the hot hand and go with Bussi again now that the series is tied at 2-2.
But, head coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t officially name a starter. Instead, he mentioned that Andersen had skated before the main group of players, and that “everybody’s available.”
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That said, I noticed that in that main skate, Bussi was in the net typically reserved for the team’s starter.
I get why the Hurricanes would want to play coy, but while there were cases to be made for either goalie in Game 4, it seems like Bussi is really the only choice for Game 5.
Being at home will be a nice change for Bussi after getting his first taste of a playoff start in Vegas, but he still played well, stopping 18 of 21 Vegas shots.
We haven’t seen a goalie steal a game so far in this series — their role has kind of just been damage minimization because both teams’ offenses are buzzing — but perhaps that trend changes on Thursday night in Game 5.
