After last night’s remarkable comeback to force overtime in Game 3, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour avoided committing to either of Frederik Andersen or Brandon Bussi for Tuesday’s crucial Game 4 in Vegas, noted by Cory Lavalette of North State Journal. A decision will be made after tomorrow’s practice.
Down 4-0 going into the third period, Brind’Amour put in Bussi, the first Stanley Cup Playoff experience for the 27-year-old who hadn’t seen any game action in nearly two months. If nothing else, it was in the interest of getting some rest for the veteran Andersen and looking ahead to the next contest. Instead, the Canes stormed back with Bussi making several big saves. It was a theme consistent with what has been a year to remember for Bussi, claimed off waivers from Florida in the fall as an unknown name who made his NHL debut in October on the way to 31 wins in the regular season.
Ultimately coming up short in overtime was a damper on the case for Bussi, but to be fair, it was a fluky goal which gave the Golden Knights the double-overtime win. Otherwise, the 6’4″ netminder turned away 18 shots up to that point. Down 2-1 in the series, by no means are the Hurricanes on the precipice of defeat just yet, but Brind’Amour faces a crossroads between a fresh but unproven up-and-comer or the 36-year-old who offers a .910 save percentage with 13 wins in the postseason, where the grind of the playoffs has taken a toll.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Sticking with the Hurricanes, Brind’Amour offered no update on William Carrier, but he is “hopeful” the forward will be good to go on Tuesday, relayed by Chip Alexander of Raleigh News & Observer. The former Golden Knight played just 6:51 last night due to an apparent upper-body injury. Losing someone so early into what became a five-period game is never ideal, but the fourth liner is averaging just over 10 minutes of ice time throughout the postseason. In his 16 playoff games thus far, Carrier has four assists. If he’s unable to play on Tuesday, Brind’Amour has two well rested but polar opposite forwards to choose from; Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Nicolas Deslauriers. Kotkaniemi hasn’t played at all in the playoffs, recording just nine points in 42 games on the season. Deslauriers made just one appearance during the run, Game 4 of the first round against Ottawa. It would be a nice story for the 35-year-old to get into a Finals game, with just six playoff games under his belt so far. Yet as an enforcer, he’d hardly make a difference in Brind’Amour’s ability to roll lines, facing a 3-1 deficit if they can’t nab a win.
- Montreal Canadiens prospect Arseni Radkov was traded to the Val-d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, per the team. Draft pick compensation is headed to the Saint John Sea Dogs, of whom Radkov played 17 games. Chosen by the Habs in the third round of the 2025 draft (82nd overall), Radkov had committed to the University of Massachusetts, however the news indicates he’ll run it back in the QMJHL after an up-and-down debut North American season. Starting with Blainville-Boisbriand, Radkov was traded to Saint John after posting a .894 save percentage. His statistics didn’t improve after the trade, as the Sea Dogs were dispatched in the first round of the postseason by the top seeded Moncton Wildcats, boasing top Utah prospect Caleb Desnoyers. The 6’4″ 18-year-old will look to turn the page with a fresh start in Val-d’Or, chosen by the Canadiens with a pick acquired from New Jersey in exchange for fellow goaltender Jake Allen.