Every time he takes the ice for the Carolina Hurricanes, Brandon Bussi is putting his team in a spot to win. Through 22 starts, Bussi is 18-3-1, setting several marks for the fastest goalie to a certain number of wins. He's doing something that hasn't been done in over a decade, by another goalie with a notable nickname.
The 2014-15 Ottawa Senators were a young team doing their best to stay in the playoff hunt. They had a lot of notable names, like Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, and Erik Karlsson. After a slower start, the front office made a coaching change, but nothing seemed to work in their favor. When the Hurricanes came to town on February 16, 2015, their season took an unexpected turn.
The Senators had rolled with a goalie duo of Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner for much of the season. When Anderson got hurt in late January, Lehner assumed control. On this night in Ottawa, the sides went back and forth. Late in the second period, a scary collision in the net between Jay McClement, Clarke MacArthur, and Lehner put them in an even tougher spot.
The collision following McClement's goal to make it 4-3 ended MacArthur's night, but it also brought an end to Lehner's season. In his place, 26-year-old Andrew Hammond took the crease to make his second career appearance. The Canes scored twice on five shots in the third, including Michal Jordan's first NHL goal, in a 6-3 win. Little did we know that it was the start of an incredible run.
Hammond took the league by storm, much like Bussi has this season
Without their starting tandem, it was up to Hammond to keep the Senators' playoff chances alive. I'd say he succeeded in that. Before Anderson returned in March, Hammond started eight straight games, going 7-0-1, recording two shutouts, posting a .961 save percentage, and allowing no more than two goals in each contest.
Even once Ottawa got Anderson back, Hammond continued to be the primary starter. He didn't suffer a regulation loss until his 16th start, allowing five goals in a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers. His 14-game point streak included an overtime victory in Raleigh, during which he made 35 stops. Overall, Hammond finished 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage, a 1.79 GAA, and three shutouts.
The Senators reaped the benefits as a team. In just two months, they went from 10 points out of a playoff spot to the top Wild Card team, falling just short of the Top 3 in the division. That's where the Cinderella story ended. Hammond dropped the first two games in the opening round against Montreal before Anderson took over as the Senators lost in six games.
Hammond never returned to this, but that's no reason to sour on Bussi
Despite only playing during the second half, "The Hamburglar" finished 7th for the Vezina and 15th for the Hart after leading the Senators to a remarkable turnaround. However, he wouldn't ever play at that level again, making him one of the best one-season wonders in league history. He went 11-19-5 over parts of four seasons, sporting a .900 save percentage and a 3.09 GAA.
Is this a cautionary tale about Brandon Bussi and whether the Canes should trust him moving forward? Of course not. Bussi's numbers are a little behind where Hammond was through 22 starts. If you exclude Hammond's relief appearance against the Canes, he owns nearly a 40-point edge in save percentage (.942 vs. .904) with one more win than Bussi (19-1-2).
Bussi has done what he has done while being part of the team from the start of the season. He has earned the chance to go through the ebbs and flows of the campaign instead of coming in midway through the year. With Pyotr Kochetkov's injury and Frederik Andersen's inconsistent play, Bussi prevented the Canes from falling off their perch as a Stanley Cup contender.
This comparison isn't meant to scare fans into what could happen in the future. As long as things continue to run smoothly, we have no reason not to trust Bussi for the remainder of the season. It's simply meant evoke memories of another magical run from an NHL goalie. Especially after what he did on Monday afternoon against the Sabres, I think the Hurricanes are in good hands.