The Carolina Hurricanes are looking to get a win in the column for the first time in the new season on Friday against the Washington Capitals, in what will be their first Metro Division contest of the season.
Carolina began its title defense on NHL’s Opening Night on Tuesday and lost in OT to the Florida Panthers.
For Friday’s game, the team announced a piece of Brandon Bussi news before puck drop.
Brandon Bussi In Net on Friday for Capitals Game
After a two-day rest, Brandon Bussi will be in net again on Friday evening for the Canes’ contest against the Capitals.
Bussi started the Canes’ season opener against the Florida Panthers, and he stopped 19 of 20 shot attempts, but the one goal he did allow proved to be the decider in the game.
CBSSports.com’s RotoWire staff wrote (about Bussi on Friday):
“The 28-year-old was in the starter’s crease during Friday’s morning skate, and head coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed that Bussi will draw a second consecutive start to begin the regular season. During Tuesday’s Opening Night matchup at home against the Panthers, Bussi turned aside 19 of 20 shots in an overtime loss. The Hurricanes also play on the road against Philadelphia on Saturday, which will likely give Pyotr Kochetkov an opportunity to make his regular-season debut.”
As to RotoWire staff notes, with the Canes having a back-to-back this weekend, Pyotr Kochetkov will likely see ice time on Saturday as the Hurricanes’ starting netminder.
More on the Carolina Hurricanes Right Now
While it wasn’t ideal to lose on the night the Stanley Cup Banner was being raised at the Lenovo Center, you can’t overreact to a first-game loss in any sense, especially considering the NHL has expanded to 84 games, and the Florida Panthers are likely (barring any catastrophic injuries) going to be atop the Eastern Conference.
However, the next two games on the Hurricanes’ schedule are very important, being against Metro Division foes, and speaking to the Philadelphia Flyers, they have started the season 0-2-0.
As for the Washington Capitals, Friday night’s contest will be their first game of the new season.
Carolina Hurricanes Announce Brandon Bussi News Before Capitals Game