The Canes use a quick start and dominant finish to end October with a victory

The Carolina Hurricanes are on their first little slide of the season, dropping their second straight game on Tuesday night to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canes led twice during the game, including 3-2 early in the third period, but they ultimately fell, 6-3, to Vegas. On Thursday, the team welcomed the New York Islanders to town for the first of three meetings this season.

The Canes sent Brandon Bussi out to make the first home start of his career. Mike Reilly re-entered the lineup against his former team, while Charles Alexis Legault returned after Shayne Gostisbehere's injury on Tuesday. Patrick Roy made a big decision to scratch Mathew Barzal after he was late to the rink, adding an unplanned wrinkle to this game. David Rittich was in the net for New York.

It was another incredible start for the Hurricanes on Thursday. It started with Bradly Nadeau getting his first NHL goal after New York turned it over. Mike Reilly followed, wrapping one home short-handed just over five minutes in. Jordan Martinook made it 3-0 by popping home a rebound. Matthew Schaefer got New York on the board on the power play, but the Canes led by two at the break.

The second period was some straight-up ugly hockey from both teams for 20 minutes. There were a few big hits, some good stops, and a little iron work from the Hurricanes, but neither team looked very good doing it. Bussi and Rittich stood tall for their teams the entire way, with the Canes' netminder looking a little more awkward than his counterpart on the other end.

The Canes immediately earned their three-goal lead back in the third, courtesy of an incredible set-up by Taylor Hall and a finish from Jackson Blake. Simon Holmstrom scored a 4-on-4 goal to shrink the lead, but Andrei Svechnikov responded 11 seconds later. At this point, the game felt pretty safe, but Logan Stankoven scored with 10 seconds left, just in case, in a 6-2 victory for the Hurricanes.

An excellent start and finish get the Canes the win

There was no mistaking who the better team was when the puck dropped on Thursday, but that also shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Still, the Hurricanes hit the ground sprinting, scoring twice in the first 5:21 of the game. By the end of the first period, even with the Islanders making a push, the Canes were in complete control.

The second period wasn't good, but the Canes maintained their two-goal lead. When Jackson Blake scored to make it 4-1, the game felt over. The only other blemish was a 4-on-4 goal that only hurt them for 11 seconds. It was a masterful performance to clamp down on the Islanders in the final 20 minutes to snap the mini-skid the Canes were on.

Brandon Bussi had an adventurous night

If you watched the ESPN broadcast tonight, you probably got your fill of Brandon Bussi highlights. Most notably, you saw him go to the bench in the middle of a play because he thought there was a delayed penalty when there wasn't. While not perfect, it captures the overall vibe from this performance against the Islanders.

The Long Island native was outstanding, doing a little bit of everything. He had the aforementioned gaffe, but he also had a night with his stick. He must've been dressed as Pyotr Kochetkov for Halloween with how many times he went for the poke check, missing more often than not. He took a penalty for delay of game, but he rebounded by earning his first NHL point with a secondary helper.

Bussi has been one of the biggest storylines of the early season for the Hurricanes. This was his fourth start of the season, and he's yet to turn in a bad effort. There are three legitimate goalies on the Canes' roster right now, and we've yet to see Kochetkov in action this season. There's no chance I'm risking another team claiming Bussi at this point.

Additional Thoughts

Sebastian Aho kissed his season-opening point streak goodbye, failing to find the scoresheet for the first time. He had some chances, especially setting up Seth Jarvis for a short-handed chance, but nothing materialized. Speaking of Jarvis, he exited the game late after blocking a shot off his ankle. Hopefully, it's just a stinger because he's not allowed to be hurt with what is currently happening.

Even without their top two scorers on the board tonight, the Canes' depth pulled through. 11 Hurricanes recorded a point, including the goalie, led by a goal and an assist each by Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov. This is the Svechnikov we've been waiting to see, finally finding his footing after an excruciatingly slow start.

Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes begin their November slate on Saturday, traveling to Boston to meet the Bruins for an afternoon battle. They'll head to Broadway next, meeting the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden for the first time this year. It would be cool to see K'Andre Miller back in the lineup for his return game, though he'll have one other chance this season to do so.