Hurricanes’ Brandon Bussi becomes first goalie in NHL history to win 10 of first 11 games
Brandon Bussi has made NHL history, as he’s become the first goalie in NHL history to win 10 of the first 11 games of his career.
#Canes’ Brandon Bussi is the first goaltender in NHL history to win 10 of his first 11 games in the league. in Bussi we Trussi. #CarolinaCulture
Bussi has consistently provided the Carolina Hurricanes with exactly the level of goaltending that they need for almost the entirety of the season with his 10-1-0 record in 11 games. On top of that, he has a .910 save percentage, a shutout and an 8.29 5v5 goals saved above expected in those games, with the latter stat being the 12th-highest in the league, so he’s not just relying on the team in front of him to get him those wins, even with the Canes are giving him 4.09 goals per game of support.
Bussi won the first two games of his career against the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings before losing what has been his only career loss so far, a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. He has since won eight-consecutive games to get his record to 10-1, topped off with a 3-2 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday. He has allowed more than three goals in a game only once in his career.
However, by losing his third career game, Bussi was nowhere close to surpassing the NHL record for most consecutive wins to start a career. Ray Emery still holds that record, having done so with the Ottawa Senators in his first nine games over the course of the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons.
Bussi’s path to get to this point in his career was certainly an interesting one. He was not drafted by an NHL team when he was eligible, and instead opted to play collegiate hockey with Western Michigan University in 2019. He spent three seasons in college before he signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. He spent parts of four seasons in the Bruins organization before he walked to free agency this past summer, originally signing with the Florida Panthers before the Hurricanes claimed him on waivers.