Canes Score as Bussi Puts Hurricanes One Win from Cup

Canes score: Brandon Bussi delivered his second straight win Thursday night, and Carolina moved up 3-2 in the series. The Hurricanes are now one win from the Stanley Cup, with a chance to finish the job Sunday night.

Bussi and the 3-2 lead

At 27, Bussi is suddenly carrying a playoff crease that did not open this way for him in the past. He could be back in net Sunday night, and the Hurricanes need only one more win to claim the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.

The path here has been a long one. The Bruins signed Bussi as a college free agent in the spring of 2022, after he had gone undrafted and built his profile as a 6-foot-4-inch former Western Michigan standout. In his rookie pro season with AHL Providence, he went 22-5-4 while Linus Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy in the same season.

From Providence to Carolina

Bussi never played a single minute for the Bruins, then left as a free agent last July. He signed with Florida on a two-way deal at league minimum worth $775,000, with only a $400,000 guarantee if he spent the full season in the minors, and he also had a chance to be assigned to AHL Charlotte after signing.

That makes Thursday night more than a single playoff win. A goalie who once wondered when his first NHL game would arrive now has Carolina one result from a Cup, and the franchise has reached the point where one more start could finish the series.

Sunday Night in Carolina

The matchup now turns on whether the Hurricanes keep Bussi in net and turn the 3-2 series lead into a title. Sergei Bobrovsky remains the No. 1 goaltender in Sunrise at $10 million per season, but Carolina’s current edge belongs to Bussi and the group in front of him.