Brandon Bussi showed promise in his first game as the Carolina Hurricanes’ starting 1A goalie for the 2026-27 season. While the team lost its opening night match, Bussi’s performance offered a positive sign amidst lingering questions about the team’s goaltending after Frederik Andersen’s departure. General manager Eric Tulsky expressed confidence in Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as the goaltending duo, and Bussi's play in the first game supports this decision.
Continuing Last Season's Form
Bussi’s strong finish to the 2025-26 season, which included a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 goals-against average (GAA), and a .895 save percentage (SV%), followed by an impressive playoff run that culminated in a Stanley Cup title (3-1-0 record, 1.60 GAA, .931 SV% in four playoff games), set high expectations. He met these expectations in his first start of the new season, stopping 19 of 20 shots for a .950 SV% and a 0.92 GAA, placing him among the NHL's top five in both categories. Bussi played well throughout regulation and overtime, helping his team secure a point despite the loss.
Reflecting on his performance, Bussi commented, "I felt pretty good tonight. It just stings right now a little bit. I think we deserved a little better. It probably should’ve got to a shootout, but it didn’t. We’ll take the point, and we’ll move forward… I felt pretty good, and I gave up a pretty bad goal. It might’ve hit our d-man or whatever, it took a pretty weird bounce. But it was far enough out that I should’ve had it. For some reason I didn’t get a good visual on it. There’s four seconds left. I’m just trying to get to a shootout. By my standards, it’s a bad goal.”
The Hurricanes are scheduled to host the Washington Capitals on Friday, October 2nd, marking the beginning of their October schedule. This early matchup against a divisional rival, considered by some to be a contender for the division title, will see Bussi likely start in net again. This strategy aligns with the team's view of Bussi as their primary 1A goaltender, facing a significant opponent in the second game of a back-to-back series, followed by a trip to Philadelphia to play the Flyers on Saturday, October 3rd.
The team hopes for better offensive support in Friday's game. While the penalty kill was successful against the Florida Panthers, going 7-for-7, the power play struggled, failing to score on six opportunities. Starting the season with a prolonged drought on the man advantage is a concern. The team’s skaters will need to step up to help the Hurricanes secure their first win of the 2026-27 season.
With Bussi in goal, the Hurricanes have a solid foundation. His performance on opening night demonstrates his capability to be the team's 1A netminder. Last season’s success was not a fluke, and Bussi was sharp from the outset. The upcoming game against Washington will be a test of whether he can lead the Hurricanes to their first victory of the season.
