Bussi wins 7th straight, Hurricanes pull away from Blue Jackets

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Brandon Bussi made 23 saves in his seventh straight win for the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Lenovo Center on Tuesday.

Bussi, who was claimed off waivers by Carolina from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5, improved to 9-1-0 in his rookie season.

“I just take it day by day,” Bussi said. “It feels good to get wins. Our team has been playing really well in most of these wins, if not all of them.”

Eric Robinson broke a tie early in the third period, and Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal also scored for the Hurricanes (18-9-2), who finished their seven-game homestand 4-3-0. Andrei Svechnikov had two assists.

“The whole game I thought was good,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Obviously we get behind, but we keep playing. Everyone contributed tonight. That’s how you draw it up. I thought our guys performed really well.”

Dmitri Voronkov scored for the Blue Jackets (13-11-6), who have lost three in a row (0-2-1). Jet Greaves made 27 saves.

“For two periods, we were pretty good. We were doing all the right things,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “Then we make an error and it ends up in our net. It’s frustrating, for sure.”

Voronkov scored on the power play to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 12:39 of the first period when Sean Monahan fed him from the right circle for a tap-in at the left post.

“I thought we had some looks, but ultimately we fell short,” Monahan said. “This league is about production and winning, so we have to find ways to win here.”

Bussi came up with a key stop with 1:40 remaining in the period with a blocker save on Yegor Chinakhov at the right post.

“That’s what goaltending is all about. There’s always a couple (key saves),” Brind’Amour said. “If it’s a 1-0 game, now it’s a different game.

“He’s had a good start to it. That’s good, but that’s a small sample size. What we all like about him is he is very calm, and he puts the work in and nothing seems to faze him.”

Jarvis tied it 1-1 at 9:42 of the second period, scoring on a low snap shot from above the hash marks off a pass from Svechnikov after he circled the net. The play started when Hurricanes defenseman Joel Nystrom chipped the puck ahead to Taylor Hall after Dante Fabbro turned the puck over in the neutral zone.

“Seeing him rumble around, I’m just trying to get lost, get high in the zone, just creep into a spot,” Jarvis said. “We’ve practiced that a ton, and I think me and him have really good chemistry when it comes to plays like that.”

Robinson put Carolina ahead 2-1 at 7:53 of the third period by roofing a shot from the left circle off a cross-ice pass from Hall.

“(Hall) is obviously a very gifted, talented player,” Robinson said. “He’s got a lot of speed, a lot of skill. We’re learning off each other. The more you play with someone, the better the chemistry builds.”

Staal’s power-play goal extended it to 3-1 at 13:38 when he tipped Svechnikov’s wrist shot.

Jordan Martinook then scored short-handed into an empty net with 1:15 remaining for the 4-1 final.

NOTES: Bussi tied the NHL mark for most wins through a goaltender’s first 10 NHL games. The others to record nine wins during that span are Igor Shesterkin (2019-20), Frederik Andersen (2013-14), Bob Froese (1982-83) and Frank Brimsek (1938-39). … Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi missed the game with a lower-body injury. … Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere recorded his fourth assist during a four-game streak.