With 23 saves and a .958 save percentage, Canes goaltender Brandon Bussi became the fifth goalie in NHL history to record nine wins in the first 10 games of his career.
The Carolina Hurricanes (18-9-2) had a slow start before they picked up the pace and came out on top with a 4-1 defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-11-6). Prior to the game, the 2006 championship players, coaches and staff were brought out on the ice to hoist the Stanley Cup in honor of the 20th anniversary of their championship run. The good vibes did not seem to transfer from the pregame to the first period.
A tripping penalty from winger Taylor Hall early gave Columbus numbers and a chance to get ahead. A passing sequence from the Blue Jackets’ power-play line directed the puck out of reach of the Canes and into the stick of winger Dmitri Voronkov, who easily put the puck past the pads of Bussi.
Letting in an early goal didn’t startle Bussi. Although Columbus scored on its second shot of the game, Bussi put it behind him and looked to stop the next one that came his way.
“[I’m] just on to the next shot,” said Bussi. “You never know when that big moment will be, so I just stay in the moment.”
The Hurricanes evened it up halfway through the second, with center Seth Jarvis burying the chance. Winger Andrei Svechnikov wrapped the puck around the back of the net and found Jarvis waiting in the middle of the zone. An easy pass to the left of the goaltender closed the gap in the score and tied it at one. The assist from Svechnikov marked his 380th career point, passing former Hurricane Jeff Skinner for the sixth-most in franchise history.
A little over seven minutes into the third period, Hall received a cross-ice pass and skated the puck deep into the Blue Jackets’ zone. Noticing his linemate beating the defense to the net, Hall made a play across the net to winger Eric Robinson, who went top shelf above goaltender Jet Greaves, scoring the game-winner. Not usually on the same line, the two wingers had to get used to each other’s style of play.
“We’re learning off each other,” said Robinson. “The more you play with someone, the better the chemistry builds.”
After a four-year power-play-goal drought, center Jordan Staal tallied his second within two games. In a similar style to the one on Sunday against the Sharks, Staal waited at the paint, took away the eyes of Greaves and deflected a shot that was sent in from Svechnikov into the net.
“There’s some skill set that he brings to [the power play],” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s pretty clear what he does, and that’s what power plays need. Every power play starts with a face-off. Everyone that I’ve been around, so he’s our best one. You need traffic, and he’s our best one; he’s our biggest dude. So those two things are usually what you talk about on power plays.”
The Hurricanes will travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Dec. 11, with a 7 p.m. puck drop.