Bussi steals the show, frustrating the Sabres to lead the Hurricanes to a matinee win

Two hot teams collided in Raleigh on Monday afternoon, giving the Caniacs at the Lenovo Center a holiday matinee as the Carolina Hurricanes and the Buffalo Sabres met for the final time this season. Both teams entered playing some good hockey. Buffalo had won 15 of its last 18, while the Hurricanes were coming off back-to-back wins over the weekend.

William Carrier returned to the lineup for the Canes on Monday after a four-game absence. He took Jesperi Kotkaniemi's place on the fourth line. Brandon Bussi was back in the net after an excellent performance against the Panthers on Friday. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen countered for the Sabres. He was excellent when the Canes visited Buffalo in November.

The Sabres immediately got off to a good start, scoring on their first shot. Rasmus Dahlin buried it in transition on a clean chance to put the visitors ahead. The Canes got it back soon after. Picking up where they left off, Sebastian Aho found Andrei Svechnikov for his fifth goal in two games and a period, tying it at one. The Canes controlled the period from there, but the score remained 1-1.

The second period was all about goaltending. In particular, it was about the Canes' netminder making a few incredible stops. The first in a long line of them was grand theft on Tage Thompson. The Canes were unable to exit the zone on a penalty kill, leading to a 2-on-0. Thompson had plenty of net to shoot into, but Bussi got his glove on it. He made several more big ones to keep it tied at one after 40.

The Canes earned their first lead of the afternoon by striking on the power play. Seth Jarvis cleaned up his rebound from a tough angle to put the group ahead early in the third. From there, the Canes' defense bent, but they refused to break. Bussi was out of his mind to finish the afternoon. He continued his torture of Thompson, preventing the Sabres from tying it as the Canes held on, 2-1.

Bussi steals the show (and 2 points)

Remember when Brandon Bussi allowed a goal on the first shot of the game? I don't think Bussi did because what he did after it was spectacular. We've seen Bussi steal games and stand on his head, but this afternoon felt like it was on a completely different level. Maybe it's because of the unreal stops he made.

No one will be more frustrated with how this game went than Tage Thompson. The Sabres only had 18 shots, and Thompson had six of them. Almost all of them were dangerous, but none was bigger than the chance he had on the power play that Bussi robbed. He was exceptionally notable all afternoon. Bussi refused to be victimized. He made 17 straight stops, propelling his team to victory.

The top line continues to put together big moments

Outside of an assist for Sean Walker on the first Carolina goal, all of the scoring came from the trio of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis. Aho and Svechnikov each had three points on Saturday. They followed it by adding two more today. For the fourth time in three periods, Aho fed Svechnikov for the Canes' opening goal, making a smart play as Svechnikov got his stick free.

On the winning goal, Aho and Svechnikov provided the passing for Jarvis to finish it on the power play. Svechnikov made an incredible pass from the goal line to find Jarvis before he put it home. Jarvis had to work for it, tracking his rebound and finding a little daylight under Luukkonen's arm to get it done. Aho now has 17 points in 12 games this month, and Svechnikov is close behind with 15.

Additional Thoughts

Today was a major battle between the top two picks in the 2018 Draft. Svechnikov and Rasmus Dahlin went at it all afternoon. Dahlin made no friends in Raleigh today, scoring Buffalo's goal and acting like a petulant child at times. Svechnikov took three penalties, all of them involving an interaction with Dahlin, who took two himself.

Eric Robinson exited the game in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury. He was digging for a puck after being denied, and Dahlin put his hip into Robinson's arm. Robinson hit the ice and grabbed his shoulder before making his way down the tunnel. It isn't a very positive sign, so it'll be something to watch in the next few days.

This win was big for a multitude of reasons because it really felt like a playoff game. The Canes were probably the better team for longer stretches, but the Sabres were grinding away at points during the second and third periods. It was a well-played game from all parties involved. Fortunately, the result was on the Canes' side to close the season series.

Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will take a short two-day pause before getting back to work against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. The group will visit Ottawa on Saturday, followed by an even longer four-day break. To close January, the Hurricanes will sport their Whalers colors with the Mammoth in town on the 29th before closing the month against the Capitals on the 31st.