Bus proves more powerful than a Jet as Bussi, Carolina outduel Greaves, Columbus

The long homestand came to an end on Tuesday night when the Carolina Hurricanes welcomed the Columbus Blue Jackets to town. The Canes entered the night at just 3-3-0 through six games during the homestand after a disappointing effort against the Sharks on Sunday. Pyotr Kochetkov returned to the lineup and performed well, but the offense left him out to dry.

Brandon Bussi was in the crease for the Hurricanes, looking to extend his winning streak to seven games. Joel Nystrom, who was scratched in Sunday's loss, was back in the lineup, and Mark Jankowski drew back in for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Blue Jackets countered with Jet Greaves. Columbus played without captain Boone Jenner in the lineup as he nursed an upper-body injury.

It felt like the Canes were the better team for much of the opening period, but special teams proved to be a big issue. The Canes' opening power play failed to strike, but Columbus was able to convert on their chance. Sean Monahan found Dmitri Voronkov in front of the net for an easy tap-in to open the scoring. Carolina had a second chance that also failed, ending the period down a goal.

Bussi had to be sharp to open the period, making a few big stops to keep it a 1-0 game. Sensing the team needed some life, the Canes' top line finally drug them into the fight. Andrei Svechnikov won a battle along the boards and carried the puck around the net. As he popped around, he found Seth Jarvis for his 17th goal of the season, tying the game before the second intermission.

The Canes controlled the third period wire-to-wire. The fourth line got the go-ahead goal, with Eric Robinson burying one from Taylor Hall. On the power play, the Canes put it out of reach. Svechnikov's shot was tipped by Jordan Staal, giving him goals on the man advantage for the second straight game. Jordan Martinook iced it for good, scoring into the empty net to seal a 4-1 victory.

Special teams went from a rough start to a big finish

The first period was rough for the Hurricanes on special teams. While the group got off to a disjointed start overall, in no area was that point clearer than on the power play and the penalty kill. Both of Carolina's power plays had a good look or two, but it didn't lead to anything productive. Meanwhile, Columbus needed just 33 seconds to convert.

The script did a complete reversal in the third period. The penalty kill withstood an early Columbus chance. Then, the captain scored on the power play to get them on the board for the third straight game. To close it, Jordan Martinook scored from the other end of the ice after Jordan Staal won a short-handed draw late, giving him a short-handed empty-netter.

Bussi's dream run continues as he etches his name into the history books

With hindsight being 20/20, we now have to talk about how big Brandon Bussi's start to the second period was. For the first several minutes, the Blue Jackets held court in the offensive zone, throwing everything they could at Bussi. He helped his team work back into the game, tying it halfway through before taking the game over in the third, where Bussi was again very stout.

Bussi now has nine wins in his first ten NHL starts, putting in rare air in NHL history. He joins teammate Frederik Andersen as the fifth player to ever accomplish this feat to begin a career. Bussi continues to be a machine against high-danger chances. There's a feeling of calmness almost when he's in the net. He has his wild moments, but Bussi has been nothing if not reliable this season.

Additional Thoughts

Joel Nystrom logged the fewest minutes of the Canes' six defensemen tonight. While it isn't anything new, he made, arguably, the night's most important play. As Columbus tried to push the puck up the ice, Nystrom intercepted a pass to prevent an entry. In turn, he sent the puck the other way to Taylor Hall, who eventually found Eric Robinson for a beautiful goal, which turned out to be the difference.

I don't think we can talk about this game without acknowledging the work the top line did to get the group back into the fight. Andrei Svechnikov had two assists, setting up Seth Jarvis for the tying goal. He added another on Staal's goal on the power play. Shayne Gostisbehere picked up the secondary assist on that goal, extending his point streak to four games.

Up Next: The Hurricanes' week of division play continues on Thursday night when they visit the Washington Capitals for their first road game in almost three weeks. They'll continue north to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, opening a home-and-home that brings them back to the Lenovo Center on Sunday night.