Hurricanes keep – Carolina enters Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final with its starting goalie still undisclosed, even as Frederik Andersen misses time after taking a shot to the head. Backup Pyotr Kochetkov? No—Anthony Bussi, who relieved Andersen in Game 3, is the name everyone c
By the time Anthony Bussi walked into T-Mobile Arena on Monday, the message was simple: he isn’t being told anything. Not who’s starting. Not when. Not yet.
“It’s just Roddy’s our coach, right? That’s all I can say,” Bussi smiled. “Let’s see if you guys have better luck.”
The Hurricanes are heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final with a goalie decision that has become its own kind of storyline. Frederik Andersen, Carolina’s No. 1. stayed off the ice Sunday and Monday after being pulled from Saturday’s game—then getting his head knocked by an Ivan Barbashev flyby.
Rod Brind’Amour said Andersen’s head is fine. He also framed Andersen’s missed practice as maintenance, pointing out that Andersen has started all 17 games in these playoffs and was simply taking care of his workload.
Brind’Amour knows the starter for Tuesday. He just isn’t telling anyone.
“I’ll keep it quiet. It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that I have to hold onto,” Brind’Amour said. “It seems to have taken on a life of its own, so I kind of enjoy it.”
The coach credited Bussi’s patience and preparation for why the backup looked ready when called on. Brind’Amour described Bussi as grateful for the opportunity and said that when the door opens, he steps through it.
“He came in, clearly was solid,” Brind’Amour said.
Bussi arrived in relief Saturday and backed Carolina to a comeback that came one fluke goal short of an all-time, double-overtime stunner.
Taylor Hall, meanwhile, tried to keep the suspense in perspective. He pointed to how often Carolina has shuffled goaltenders through the season—so much that the starting job didn’t always feel fixed.
“We shuffled goalies so much all season long that it was kind of like show up to the game and you kinda forget who’s really starting, right?” Hall said.
He also leaned on Bussi’s journey: from going undrafted to being waived by Florida, then earning an emergency Cup Final debut. Hall said the season has been a lot for him—becoming a full-fledged NHLer and playing a ton of games in a row—and argued that rest might be the difference.
“Hopefully he’s gotten some rest, and he’s fresh mentally. He looked like it the last game,” Hall said.
The belief around Bussi is rooted in what he brings stylistically. Hall sees him as a right-catching goaltender who takes away shooters’ targets with his long torso and arms. Hall said Bussi’s desperation saves stand out, and that he’s more vocal—talkative out on the ice.
“He fooled Mitch Marner on a penalty shot,” Hall said.
Hall also described how Bussi can change the way shooters approach their looks. He said he shot on him Monday and that it felt different—trying to go high glove on Bussi, something Hall wouldn’t do as much against a more typical setup.
“It’s different,” Hall said. “It’s like: OK, I gotta try and go high glove on him, where I wouldn’t try that as much on a normal goalie. It does throw you off a bit.”
Carolina’s goalie choices also matter for the kinds of plays that show up at this stage. Bussi’s more aggressive style contrasts with Andersen’s preference to stand deeper in the crease. Hall linked that to the angles Carolina had to defend—Barbashev’s Game 2 wraparound and backdoor looks—and even the possibility of a bank-shot attempt like the Theodore bank shot.
For Bussi, the moment after the Game 3 loss was about turning the page. He called the last goal “tough,” and said he has moved on from it.
“Some wild things have happened, so nothing really surprises me anymore,” Bussi said. “Tough last goal … I’m ready if called upon.”
Still, the central question for Game 4 is the one Brind’Amour refuses to answer. Who leads Carolina’s group out for warmups—what goalie takes the crease on the road in what feels like a must-win moment?
Brind’Amour tried to make it sound manageable. As a player, he said, you don’t worry about who’s in net.
“I kind of chuckle about the goalie thing,” Brind’Amour said. “Because as a player, wherever they throw in, I’m not worrying about who’s in net.”
He insisted that the focus stays on the job in front of him.
“I’m gonna try to do my job, and somebody in there going is good,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s really not that big a deal, so it doesn’t affect how we play.”
Even if Brind’Amour wants to shrink it, the suspense is already out in the open—just without the answer.
Monday’s practice lines ahead of Game 4 had the Hurricanes moving like a team already tuned for Tuesday’s attention. Svechnikov—Aho—Martinook with Hall—Stankoven—Blake, Ehlers—Staal—Jarvis with Carrier—Jankowski—Robinson, plus Slavin—Chatfield and Miller—Walker—Gostisbehere—Nikishin.
Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Frederik Andersen Anthony Bussi Rod Brind’Amour Ivan Barbashev Taylor Hall