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Hurricanes Face Goalie Decision After OT Loss

6/9/2026

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Summary

Hurricanes Choose

The Hurricanes must choose between backup Brandon Bussi and starter Frederik Andersen for Game 4 after a 5-4 double-overtime loss in Game 3.
Bussi entered Game 3 trailing 4-0, stopped 18 of 19 shots, and saw the overtime winner strike his pad at 5:38 of the second overtime.
Andersen missed Monday’s practice after a head hit from Ivan Barbashev, with Final numbers of .815 save percentage and 4.44 GAA versus .931 and 1.41 earlier.

Summary

Marner Hat-Trick

Mitch Marner’s 6-minute-10-second second-period hat-trick broke Maurice Richard’s 69-year Stanley Cup Final record.
SportsLine lists Hurricanes at -114 with a 5.5-goal over/under, noting the over hit six of last ten games.
Fans swarmed City National Arena’s lobby for the Knights’ practice, prompting Coach John Tortorella to say the setting makes players practice harder as entertainers.
Shea Theodore scored a double-overtime winner at 5:38 after puck rebounded off Brandon Bussi’s skate.

Summary

Carrier Exits

William Carrier exited the Hurricanes after Game 3’s second period with an upper-body injury.
K’Andre Miller, Jalen Chatfield and Taylor Hall returned to the bench hunched or limping.
The game’s increased physicality was called Vegas giving Carolina “gritty medicine.”
Las Vegas added Bojangles and Chick-Fil-A outlets and nearby Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean venues.
Monday’s practice had Brandon Bussi guard the starter’s crease, Pyotr Kochetkov tend the opposite net, and Frederik Andersen sit out.

History

Historical Context

After the 2004-05 lockout, the Hurricanes posted a franchise-best 52-22-8 record and 112 points, then won their first Stanley Cup in 2006 by defeating the Oilers in seven games with rookie Cam Ward earning the Conn Smythe. Today, Andersen’s head injury forces Carolina to rely on backup Brandon Bussi, echoing the 2006 gamble on an untested netminder.

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Hurricanes Choose

The Hurricanes must choose between backup Brandon Bussi and starter Frederik Andersen for Game 4 after a 5-4 double-overtime loss in Game 3.
Bussi entered Game 3 trailing 4-0, stopped 18 of 19 shots, and saw the overtime winner strike his pad at 5:38 of the second overtime.
Andersen missed Monday’s practice after a head hit from Ivan Barbashev, with Final numbers of .815 save percentage and 4.44 GAA versus .931 and 1.41 earlier.

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