Brandon Bussi appears set to start in goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night after winning his second straight playoff start and helping Carolina take a 3-2 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Bussi manned the crease in practice on Friday, and the team said his appearance made him the likely choice to back up the momentum he created with two consecutive wins. The Hurricanes can clinch the Cup with a victory in Game 6, which raises the stakes on the goaltending call: a win would put Bussi one victory from hockey’s ultimate prize.
Statistically, Bussi’s run is striking. The 27-year-old, 6-foot-4 goaltender stepped in and delivered the last two results the Hurricanes needed. He also arrives at this moment after a strong rookie pro season with Providence, where he went 22-5-4, and after a path that began when the Bruins signed him as a college free agent in spring 2022. He left Boston’s system as a free agent last July and later signed with Florida on a two-way deal before reaching Carolina’s postseason picture.
That background matters because Bussi’s emergence is not a standard starter promotion. He never logged an NHL minute for the Bruins and had been positioned as organizational depth behind other prospects. Now, with the series hanging in the balance and the Hurricanes on the verge of a title, the bussi goalie choice has become a defining moment for a career that looked like a long-shot path to the NHL.
The clear friction is Frederik Andersen. Andersen was Carolina’s starter through the first 16 outings of the postseason and led the team out each night before leaving Game 3 in the second intermission; he has been listed as a scratch since. Coach Rod Brind'Amour made clear that Andersen is available and that the staff will decide whether to keep things the same, insert Andersen into the lineup, or have him back up—adding that they want to give him as much mental and physical rest as possible. Brind'Amour’s approach was essentially: we’ll see.
The practical picture for Sunday is straightforward but consequential. If Carolina sticks with Bussi, they will be riding hot form and a goalie who has won two straight playoff starts. If they pivot to Andersen, they’ll return to the veteran who began the run and led the group through its first 16 games. Either choice carries weight: one leans into momentum, the other into experience and the season-long starter’s history.
Before puck drop, watch three things. First, the official starter announcement from the Hurricanes, which will settle the immediate question. Second, how the coaching staff frames special teams and matchups in pregame comments—those will hint at whether the plan is to protect or to ride the goaltender chosen. Third, the visible energy and movement in warmups: Bussi’s presence in practice on Friday was the clearest signal yet that he is in the team’s plans.
This is where the story narrows. Bussi’s back-to-back wins and Friday’s work in practice make him the logical pick to start a potential series-clinching game, but Andersen’s availability and his role earlier in the postseason keep the decision open. The Hurricanes must choose between the momentum of a recent hot hand and the track record of their season-long starter, and that single choice will in large part determine whether Carolina lifts the Cup on Sunday night.
