Brandon Bussi recorded his first career shutout and Nikolaj Ehlers scored in overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The game was characterized by strong defensive play from both teams, with each side managing only 15 shots on goal during regulation. Goaltenders Brandon Bussi for Carolina and Devin Cooley for Calgary kept their teams even through 60 minutes, leading to overtime.
Carolina secured the win when Ehlers finished a give-and-go with Taylor Hall at 3:52 of overtime. Sean Walker provided the secondary assist by initiating the rush that led to the decisive goal.
Reflecting on his seventh career overtime goal—and his first with Carolina—Ehlers said, “We were both coming in with a lot of speed and (Taylor Hall) wanted it on the outside. My thought was just to go to the net and give him the option. It was a great play by Hallsy.”
Taylor Hall described Calgary’s style of play: “Before the game, they put up some analytics, and you could tell that they play some low-event hockey. They play a defensive style, and they’re good at checking. There wasn’t a lot of room in the O-zone tonight. Their record is what it is, but they played hard, and they gave us a really tough test. They forced us into making mistakes. They forced us into forcing plays. For a lot of the night, we didn’t play the way we’re accustomed to. I don’t know how many breakaways or two-on-ones they had, but it was a lot. There are definitely some things to clean up, but it’s two points, nonetheless.”
Bussi faced fewer than 16 shots for his second consecutive game but made key saves when needed—including stopping Matt Coronato on a third-period breakaway—to secure his first NHL shutout at age 27.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on Bussi’s performance: “He’s been great for us. He’s come up with the timely saves. That’s how I sum it up. It’s not like we’ve been leaving him out to dry or giving up 40 shots a night. It’s not really that, but if there’s a breakaway here or there, those are huge moments in tight games. Every game, it’s almost been the same story. It’s timely saves that allow us to have a chance, and that’s what you ask for.”
After achieving this milestone victory—his fifth straight win—Bussi tied Cam Ward (2005-06) and Pyotr Kochetkov (2022-23) for longest winning streak by a goalie in their first year with Carolina’s franchise history.
Bussi also became just the third netminder with seven wins through his first eight appearances for either the Hurricanes or Whalers franchises; only Frederik Andersen (eight wins in 2021-22) and Martin Gerber (seven wins in 2005-06) have matched this achievement.
Speaking about his shutout effort after the game, Bussi said: “Any time you can get a shutout, it’s a big team effort. I think we did a great job again, kind of like last game, minimizing their shots and their volume. And if I was needed, I came up with it.”
The Hurricanes will be off Monday before resuming practice ahead of three games in four nights starting Thursday against Toronto.
