Who will the Hurricanes start in goal in Stanley Cup Final Game 4? What we know
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi was a wanted man after the team’s practice at T-Mobile Arena on Monday. As soon as the team’s locker room opened for post-practice availability, a flood of media engulfed Bussi at his locker stall.
Everyone, of course, wanted to know: Does he know if he is starting Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday after finishing Game 3 in relief of Frederik Andersen on Saturday?
“You all know Roddy is our coach, right?” Bussi quipped, eliciting laughter from the gaggle. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with him.”
Indeed, Rod Brind’Amour is the Canes’ head coach, and he typically plays things pretty close to the vest, particularly in a high-visibility situation like the Stanley Cup Final.
So, when asked if he knew who was starting Tuesday during his availability, Brind’Amour briefly silenced any murmurs in the interview room when he answered: “Yes.”
“But we’ll keep it quiet,” Brind’Amour continued with a grin and soft laugh. “It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that we have to hold on to. It seems to have taken on a life of its own, so I kind of enjoy it.”
Brind’Amour enjoys it, and the players likely already know the planned scenario, but the general public is left to guess what will happen Tuesday, in what is now an unofficial, not-quite-but-really-is must-win for the Hurricanes.
What about the players? Do they care?
“The beginning of the season, we had three goalies on rotation,” forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. “We have a lot of confidence in our goalies. Freddie has been unbelievable, Bussi’s been unbelievable this year, and (Kochetkov), before he got injured, he was incredible, so we’ve got a ton of confidence. We want to play the same hockey that we play, and in the end it doesn’t matter who’s in the net, we’re going to do our best to limit their chances, give them less hard work to do during games.”
Brind’Amour also said he never cared as a player, either.
“All year, as a player, you don’t worry about who’s in net,” Brind’Amour said. “You’ve got your own job to do, to worry about. That’s why I chuckle a little bit about the goalie thing because as a player, whoever they throw in net, I’m not worried about who’s in net. I’m going to do my job.”
Andersen gave up four goals in the second period of Game 3, after previously allowing two goals earlier in the period that were called back on coach’s challenge reviews.
On the second overturned goal, it appeared that Andersen was kneed in the head by a Vegas forward, and he lay prone on the ice for several seconds after the play was whistled dead.
Was Andersen OK after that?
“Yep,” Brind’Amour said, though he cut himself off there.
Bussi, meanwhile, made saves on the first 18 shots he saw, in his first live game action in nearly two months. The 19th, a wacky carom off the back wall, off his leg and into the cage, was the game-winner in the second overtime.
“(Bussi)’s another guy, he’s grateful for the moment, every day,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s just happy to be here and grateful for any opportunity he can get, and pretty much every time we’ve given him any opportunity, he’s seized the moment.”
Bussi was in what is normally the “starter’s crease” at Monday’s practice. Pyotr Kochetkov manned the other net. Andersen was not there.
“It was a maintenance day for (Andersen),” Brind’Amour said.
The mystery remains.
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Who will the Hurricanes start in goal in Stanley Cup Final Game 4? What we know."
