The Carolina Hurricanes were all aboard "The Bus" for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Brandon Bussi started between the pipes in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup, and Frederik Andersen was a healthy scratch.
The 27-year-old became the first undrafted goalie in NHL history to make his first career playoff start in the Stanley Cup Final. He stopped 18 of 21 shots.
Bussi's first career postseason appearance came in Game 3 of the Cup Final. He entered the contest in relief of a struggling Andersen and stopped 18 of 19 shots in the double-overtime loss.
Bussi was Carolina's best goalie during the regular season. He went 31-6-2 in his debut campaign with an .894 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average.
Andersen was superb through the first three rounds of the playoffs, going 12-1 with a .931 save percentage. But the 36-year-old has struggled mightily in the Stanley Cup Final, recording an .815 save percentage.
Coach Rod Brind'Amour made the decision after consulting with Carolina goalie coach Paul Schonfelder.
"It was about a minute conversation with our goalie coach," Brind'Amour said postgame, per EJ Hradek of NHL Network. "He said Freddy needed a break. So we gave him a break and started Bussi."
