Recap: Canes Sink Sabres For Third Straight Win

RALEIGH, N.C - Another stellar effort from Brandon Bussi highlighted a third consecutive victory for the Carolina Hurricanes, who held off the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 at Lenovo Center on Monday.

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Carolina was stung by a Sabres goal just 93 seconds into the contest, but quickly regained its footing and leveled the score just over five minutes later. After linking up three times on Saturday, the duo of Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho was at it again, as the latter found the former with a cross-crease pass for a tap-in at the back post.

Neither team added to the scoreboard during the second period, but the goalies were happy to provide the highlights with several impressive stops. The best of the bunch came from Bussi, who robbed Tage Thompson with the glove after a give-and-go had left the star Sabre all alone at the side of the net.

After the scoreless second, a Sabres penalty 2:03 into the third opened a window of opportunity for Carolina. And just seven seconds into that man advantage, Seth Jarvis buried his own rebound to give the Canes their first lead of the night. From there, Bussi and Co. shut things down in the defensive zone, with the 27-year-old backstop providing another flurry of highlight-reel stops to seal two points for Carolina.

Bussi finished with just 18 saves on the night but earned first-star honors for his contributions between the pipes, helping the Canes to their fifth one-goal victory of the season.

Stats & Standouts

• Goaltender Brandon Bussi entered Monday's contest with the third-best high-danger save percentage (.866%) among NHL netminders, per NHL EDGE. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Canes' netminder was perfect in high-danger scenarios against the Sabres, going 6-for-6 in those situations on Monday.
• Another win means Bussi's historic start to his career continues to pick up steam: his 18 victories are the most a goaltender has ever recorded through their first 22 starts in the League.
• Forward Andrei Svechnikov scored for a career-high-tying third straight game, netting his fifth in that span. Svechnikov has now notched 17 goals this season, tied with Sebastian Aho for the second-most among Hurricanes skaters.
• Forward Sebastian Aho picked up the primary assist on Svechnikov's strike, and has logged helpers on each of his linemate's five goals during his current three-game run.
• That duo has now factored on the same goal for the 152nd time in their careers, tying Ron Francis and Jeff O'Neill for the fourth-highest total by a pair of teammates in franchise history. The top three are rounded out by Aho and Teuvo Teravainen (214x), Francis and Kevin Dineen (171x), and Andrew Cassels and Geoff Sanderson (163x).
• Both Aho (7A) and Svechnikov (5G, 2A) have recorded multiple points in each of the last three games, marking the longest run of games with two or more points by a Hurricanes skater(s) this season.
• Forward Seth Jarvis scored his team-leading fifth game-winning goal of the campaign, which is tied for sixth among NHL skaters at the time of publishing. Like his linemates Aho and Svechnikov, Jarvis is riding a three-game point streak (1G, 3A).
• The Hurricanes have now won 13 straight home games against the Sabres, which is the longest active home win streak against a single opponent in the NHL.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the contest...

"I thought we had a good first period - probably our best period. We gave them one, but it wasn't really giving them one. They make plays. Their (defensemen) are maybe the best in the league as a whole group. The way they skate and get up the ice, that's what happened - they beat us up the ice and rip a shot in the net. Other than that, I thought we did a pretty good job in the first period. It was a hard-fought game; both teams played well."

Brandon Bussi elaborating on his save of the year candidate and the victory...

"I hadn't seen a lot of work to that point; that might have been the fourth or fifth shot. I felt good prior to that, but I think it kind of gave the arena, our team, [and] myself a little bit of extra juice. Granted, I thought we played really, really well today. I think for pretty close to 60 minutes, we were playing our game, kind of limiting chances for the most part."

Seth Jarvis assessing Brandon Bussi's monster afternoon...

"He was incredible. Didn't get tested too much early on, but that's what's so great about him - he stays in games and waits for his opportunities. He made three or four unbelievable saves."

Andrei Svechnikov with more praise for Bussi...

"Another level. Just played an unbelievable game... That was the save of the year. He was unbelievable tonight."

Brandon Bussi after earning his 18th win in his 22nd NHL appearance...

"I'll be frank with you, it'll never feel normal. This is what you dream about your whole life. I think that's a good thing for me. It doesn't mean that the lifestyle is not normal, but I'm fortunate to be able to do what I do for a living. Being able to hear the crowd cheer us on, cheer me on, it's very cool. I don't think I'm a person that ever takes that for granted."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to be off on Tuesday. They'll return to practice on Wednesday before hosting Chicago on Thursday.
• Next Game: Thursday, January 22 vs. Chicago | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+, Hulu | Tickets | Parking