Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour has made his decision on which goalie will start Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, June 9.
But he’s not revealing whether Frederik Andersen or Brandon Bussi will play against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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“It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that I have to hold onto,” he told reporters on Monday, June 8. “It seems to have taken a life of its own, so I kind of enjoy it.”
Andersen, who has started every playoff game, didn’t take part in practice on Monday. Brind’Amour said it was a maintenance day.
The reason the starting goalie is even a question is because Brind’Amour pulled Andersen for Bussi during the Hurricanes’ Game 3 loss.
The Golden Knights had scored four goals against Andersen (plus two disallowed ones) in the second period, including Mitch Marner’s hat trick.
Brind’Amour inserted Bussi at the start of the third period. The backup goalie stopped 18 of 19 shots in the third period and two overtime periods, allowing only Shea Theodore’s fluke goal.
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Making the case for Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen as the Game 4 starter:
The case for Brandon Bussi starting Game 4
He looked great in his first action since mid-April. He quickly had to face red-hot Marner on a penalty shot and stopped him, allowing the Hurricanes to rally.
Bussi can’t be blamed for the lone goal against him.
He’s rested while Andersen has played a lot and hasn’t been as strong as he was in earlier rounds.
The case for Frederik Andersen starting Game 4
Go with what got you here. Andersen was stellar in sweeps in the first two rounds. He rebounded and won after his lone loss in the conference finals, plus his Game 1 loss in the final.
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Though Andersen might want the fourth goal back, the second goal was an own goal tipped in by his defenseman. On the third goal, the Hurricanes gave Marner too many chances.
Andersen was clipped in the head by Ivan Barbashev on the second disallowed goal, but Brind’Amour said he’s fine. The goalie has two days off between games, and that and the skipped practice should give him enough rest.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes won’t reveal Game 4 goalie: Should Andersen or Bussi start?
