When the Boston Bruins signed former Western Michigan goalie Brandon Bussi to an undrafted free agent contract in March of 2022, it was just seen as a depth signing. Unfortunately for Bussi, he was deep on the depth chart of goalies in the organization.
With Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in Boston, it was going to be tough to crack the lineup. Bussi and Michael DiPietro were teammates with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). However, when Sweeney traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators a couple of summers ago, part of the return was Joonas Korpisalo. Another roadblock for both netminders.
Last summer in free agency, Sweeney let Bussi walk and signed DiPietro. Bussi signed with the Florida Panthers before being placed on waivers and scooped up by the Carolina Hurricanes. He ended up having a strong regular season, but head coach Rod Brind'Amour decided to ride veteran Fredrik Andersen in the postseason. That move paid off until Saturday night.
Andersen allowed four second-period goals for a 4-0 deficit after two periods in a pivotal Game 3 with the series tied 1-1. Brind'Amour opted to make a change and called on Bussi. He didn't disappoint. The Hurricanes scored three goals in 39 seconds in the third period and tied it late in regulation on the power play to force overtime. Bussi was huge in forcing overtime before disaster struck.
Former Bruins prospect allows frustrating game-winning goal in Game 3
Bussi stopped everything thrown his way in the third period, including a penalty shot by Mitch Marner of the Golden Knights. He made some big saves, and that carried over to overtime. He stopped 18 of the 19 shots that landed on the net, but the game-winner was a fluke that was frustrating.
Shea Theodore's slap shot from the point missed the net; however, the puck hit the backboards, then went to off Bussi's leg and into the net. Game. Set. Match. Vegas picked up a 5-4 double overtime win and a 2-1 series lead. After the loss, Bussi's coach and teammates had his back.
"There was no reason to leave Freddie in there the way that game was going,'' Brind'Amour said. "(Bussi) gave us a chance. (The overtime winner) is a tough break. I hate it for him, because he was playing great."
“He was incredible. I think, what, his first shot (against) was a penalty shot against Marner? We know we’ve had two good guys all year, so we have a ton of faith in Bus, and he played well when he got in there,'' said Jordan Martinook.
Now the question is, does Brind'Amour go back to Bussi for Game 4, or does he roll the dice again with Andersen? We'll have to wait until Tuesday night to find out.
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