LAS VEGAS — Heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, the big question is whether Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour will make a goaltender change.
Frederik Andersen, who has started every game of the playoffs so far for the Hurricanes, was pulled Saturday at the start of the third period after allowing four goals on 16 shots in Carolina’s wild 5-4 double-overtime loss.
Andersen was replaced by Brandon Bussi, who made 18 consecutive saves in his NHL playoff debut, including one on a penalty shot by Mitch Marner, before Shea Theodore scored the game-winner on a shot that took a crazy carom off the end boards and went in off the back of Bussi’s skate.
With his team already trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, it’s a critical decision for Brind’Amour. The Hurricanes, who haven’t lost back-to-back games in almost five months (Jan. 12-13), can’t afford to go home for Game 5 Thursday night after another loss. Teams with a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win 38 of 39 series (.974%) all-time. The lone exception came in 1942 when the Toronto Maple Leafs actually rebounded from a 3-0 deficit.
Andersen was the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded annually to the playoff MVP, after he went 12-1 with three shutouts in the first three rounds while compiling a 1.41 goals-against average and a sparkling .931 save percentage. But he has a poor 4.44 GAA and an .815 save percentage in the first three games of the finals.
Bussi, claimed on waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5, compiled a 31-6-2 record and 2.47 GAA in 39 starts in the regular season. His relief appearance in Saturday’s loss was his first game action since April 14, when he made 29 saves in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
Adding some suspense to Brind’Amour’s decision was the fact that Andersen took a maintenance day and skipped the team’s spirited practice on Monday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.
Afterward, Brind’Amour said he had made a decision on his starting netminder but will “keep it quiet.
“It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that I have to hold onto,” Brind’Amour joked. “It seems to have taken on a life of its own, so I kind of enjoy it.”
Andersen, who has dealt with concussion issues in the past, took a jolt to the head during a second-period collision with Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev, but Brind’Amour said there were no lingering concerns about Andersen’s physical status.
“They’re both great goalies, obviously, (and) they both have been playing unbelievable all season long,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “We knew it was going to (take) a whole committee here if we were to win this whole thing. Either one we’re comfortable with playing in front of, and we’ll see what happens.”
Vegas practiced in front of a standing-room-only crowd, some enticed by free donuts, at City National Arena in the neighborhood of Summerlin on Tuesday. The Golden Knights know they can take a huge step forward toward their second Stanley Cup win in four years with a victory on Tuesday.
“Anytime you can get up 3-1, it’s massive and you’re just trying to take care of home ice,” forward Cole Smith said. “We only get three games at home in this series if it goes seven, so you’ve got to make the most of it and use whatever advantage you can.”
Carolina will need to hone in on Golden Knights star Mitch Marner, who notched the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history during Game 3 and finished with four points, raising his total to a playoff-high 28.
“Obviously in a Cup final every game is important, and now we have a chance to go up 3-1, so it’s a huge game for us,” defenseman Jeremy Lauzon said. “I know they’re going to come prepared. We’re just going to have to be (the) better team.”
