Bussi leads the Canes through troubled waters before they pull away from the Sharks

Riding the success of their first two games at home, the Carolina Hurricanes took their show on the road to begin a six-game Western Conference swing. After vanquishing the Flyers in a 4-3 overtime thriller on Saturday, the Canes sought a less stressful game against a young San Jose Sharks team reeling after back-to-back overtime losses.

Injuries forced the Canes to shuffle the lineup considerably. The headline was Brandon Bussi getting his first NHL start after years in the AHL. Mike Reilly drew in for Jaccob Slavin, who didn't travel with the team after leaving Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, while Mark Jankowski made his season debut in Jesperi Kotkaniemi's place on the 4th line.

The Canes didn't make the life of the debutant in the net very easy during the first period. They immediately took a penalty, but they were able to kill it. They'd go through the same song and dance for the remainder of the period, forcing Bussi to make a few very dangerous stops, including a one-timer on Will Smith. The offense gained a little traction, but the opening 20 minutes ended scoreless.

The offenses kicked things up a notch in the second. Sean Walker got it going with a one-time bomb from the point. William Eklund capitalized on a neutral zone turnover, scoring on a breakaway to even things up. Alexander Nikishin kept the scoring train rolling, creating a chance that William Carrier finished. To close it out, Eric Robinson buried a beautiful breakaway pass to make it 3-1 after 40.

Sensing things were still too close, the Canes locked the game down immediately. Shayne Gostisbehere finished a beautiful transition passing play less than two minutes in. Then, Jackson Blake clapped a one-timer off the post and into the net to extend the lead to four. The Canes proved to be too much for the young Sharks, dominating down the stretch to the tune of a 5-1 victory.

Brandon Bussi held the team together in his NHL debut

The final score ended up being very one-sided, but the Hurricanes did not make life easy for Brandon Bussi for a period and a half. He had to be on his toes as the team's defense broke down numerous times, allowing high-danger chances to the Sharks. His lateral movement was phenomenal all night, going from post to post to stop a lot of great chances for the Sharks.

With every great chance allowed, Bussi was there to shut it down. He made a big stop that eventually led to Robinson's goal late in the second period to serve as the dagger. The Canes' defense shut it down from there, allowing ZERO shots in the third period to secure his first win as an NHL goalie. If not for Bussi's heroics early, this game takes a completely different form.

The Canes' offense keeps rolling

I'll keep screaming it from the mountaintop that the Canes' depth is its greatest asset. 13 of the team's 18 skaters recorded at least one point, including five of the six defensemen. Eight Hurricanes have recorded a point in all three games this season, with Sebastian Aho, Shayne Gostisbehere, Seth Jarvis, and Taylor Hall all sitting tied atop the team with four points.

It is insane to see how much the team is finding the back of the net, especially when a lot of the top guys don't seem to be firing on all cylinders. Rod Brind'Amour made a big decision to swap Hall and Andrei Svechnikov during the second period, and it worked beautifully. Hall helped set up a goal, while Svechnikov looked so much better. I'm not sure if the move is permanent, but it's worth considering.

Additional Thoughts

The captain skated in his 900th game as a Hurricane on Tuesday, becoming the fourth player in the organization's history to do so. While Jordan Staal didn't score his 300th goal, his line continued to be impactful every time they touched the ice. They scored the all-important game-winning goal, with William Carrier doing the honors.

As evenly as the points were spread tonight, Logan Stankoven was the only player to record multiple points, setting up both goals in the third period. This might've been his best game since the move to center. The only area he didn't seem to dominate was the dot, winning just under 36 percent of his face-offs. Still, it's hard to be mad when he's making passes like this.

Without Jaccob Slavin in the lineup, several defensemen stepped up in his absence. Mike Reilly tied for the team lead with five shots and recorded his first point as a Hurricane on Robinson's goal. K'Andre Miller and Sean Walker were on the ice a lot, backing a 5-for-5 night for the penalty kill. You won't replace Slavin, but the committee got the job done.

Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes continue their trip through California by flying south to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. They'll stay in the area to begin the first of five straight contests against playoff teams with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Once they leave California, they'll finish the trip against the Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Stars next week.