Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes live updates: Stanley Cup Final 2026 Game 5 start time, picks and predictions

Brandon Bussi became the third goalie since the 1967-68 expansion to make his first career playoff start in a Stanley Cup Final — and the first to win.

Bussi got the nod after stopping 18 of 19 shots in relief of Frederik Andersen in Game 3 in the third period and two overtimes. Andersen didn’t dress in Game 4 and was listed as a healthy scratch; Rod Brind’Amour said after the game that Andersen, who’d played every minute of the postseason until Game 3, needed a rest. Pyotr Kochetkov served as backup.

Bussi won 31 of 39 starts in the regular season but lost some steam down the stretch, leading Brind’Amour to go with Andersen, a veteran, in Game 1 of the first round.

“To come in and do what he did is very special,” Blake said of Bussi. “He’s been incredible for our team all year, so we knew what we were going to expect, and we knew what he’s capable of.”

Bussi finished with 18 saves, and if there were any nerves, the Canes did a great job by allowing him to at least settle in with Stankoven and Blake giving him a 2-0 lead less than three and a half minutes into the game. He only faced six first-period shots, his biggest coming on a late power-play robbery of Ivan Barbashev.