Good night from four offseason additions not enough in Flyers' OT loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers couldn’t pull out a close game Thursday night, falling to the Golden Knights in overtime, 3-2, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

They never led as Trevor Zegras and Noah Juulsen each had game-tying markers.

Rick Tocchet’s club was unable to convert on a power play with under five minutes to go in the third period.

“We had a good game, I don’t want to get negative, but the power play, we’re not getting any middle shots,” the Flyers’ head coach said. “We’ve got to get a middle shot.”

Vegas took advantage as Mark Stone scored the game-winner in OT for the Golden Knights. Travis Konecny had a turnover that led to Stone’s goal eight seconds later.

“He probably feels bad,” Tocchet said. “You can’t make those turnovers.”

The Flyers (16-9-4) dropped to 2-2-1 on their season-long six-game homestand.

“That’s a good team over there, we stuck with them and had chances,” Travis Sanheim said. “That’s just unfortunate in overtime.”

Tocchet’s club is 7-4-4 in games decided by one goal. It has gone to overtime 11 times.

“He’s doing a great job,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I knew he would. He did that in Vancouver. He’s building an identity I think here with the Flyers. He was part of an identity here years ago and I think he’d like to sort of reestablish that.”

Carter Hart made his return to Philadelphia with the Golden Knights (15-6-9), but the former Flyers goaltender was not in net. The 27-year-old backed up Akira Schmid. Hart is three games into his new opportunity with Vegas after being found not guilty in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.

The Flyers and Golden Knights meet again Jan. 19 in Las Vegas.

Carter Hart back in Philadelphia. He’s the backup tonight, so he won’t face the Flyers. pic.twitter.com/GgvOu12n1Z

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) December 11, 2025

• Dan Vladar continued to answer the bell for the Flyers. You couldn’t blame him for the loss.

The 28-year-old denied 18 of 21 shots.

“I’m proud of the team here, I thought there was that hunger and the belief that we’ve been talking about the whole year,” Vladar said. “I felt it during the intermissions and stuff, guys were positive on the bench. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, but if we keep playing this way, I’m pretty sure we’re going to have more and more success.”

Vegas capitalized on the Flyers having too many men on the ice in the second period. Stone scored a power play goal to hand the Flyers a 2-1 deficit.

The Flyers fell behind 1-0 for the 20th time this season. In the first period, they were slow to get back after Christian Dvorak had an offensive-zone turnover, which eventually led to Zach Whitecloud’s transition goal.

Schmid stopped 17 of the Flyers’ 19 shots.

“It was a good test for us, they’re a really good hockey team over there,” Dvorak said. “I thought we competed well, it was a pretty even game for the most part. We were right there the whole game, it goes to OT, anything can happen.”

• Despite the loss, general manager Danny Briere had to feel good about his offseason additions after this one.

Dvorak had two assists, giving him 21 points through 29 games. The free-agent signing is on pace to shatter his career high of 38 points.

Zegras’ goal was his 11th in 29 games. Last season, the trade acquisition finished with 12 in 57 games for the Ducks.

Juulsen, a depth signing on the back end, tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. It was his first goal with the Flyers.

And the free-agent addition Vladar gave the Flyers another reliable outing.

• Sanheim made excellent read and pass to set up Zegras’ game-tying 1-1 goal in the first period.

“I didn’t feel like I had a lane to shoot it, so I bought a little bit of time,” Sanheim said. “He ends up sneaking in back post and great job finishing.”

• Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen joined healthy scratches Nicolas Deslauriers and Egor Zamula on Thursday morning for a competitive skate that featured contact.

York missed a third straight game with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old defenseman has been considered day to day.

“He’s going to have a really hard practice today, a lot of pushing and shoving on the ice and see how he reacts off it,” Tocchet said Thursday morning. “I think this is the day we’ll know how close he is to playing.”

Ristolainen is inching closer to his season debut, which could come before the Dec. 24-26 NHL holiday break.

“I’d be shocked if he hadn’t played before Christmas, to be honest with you,” Tocchet said.

The 31-year-old defenseman has been recovering from surgery in March on a second triceps tendon rupture.

Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York going through contact with Nicolas Deslauriers and Egor Zamula at optional morning skate. pic.twitter.com/nTNoLjZyVm

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) December 11, 2025

• The Flyers wrap up their homestand Saturday when they welcome the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Sharks stun Maple Leafs in come-from-behind OT win by ‘playing for each other' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Scotiabank Arena was rocking on Thursday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead over the visiting Sharks nearly 15 minutes into the second period. 

But in the end, it was the home team’s crowd that was left stunned after San Jose tied the game 2-2 late in the third period and went on to win 3-2 in overtime.

ALEX FOR THE WENNBERG 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GWbBOB0nVy

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 12, 2025

The Sharks, coming off a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, never quit in the face of steep adversity. 

It truly was a resilient team effort that fueled San Jose’s gritty victory north of the border.

“It’s up and down,” prefaced center Alex Wennberg postgame, after scoring the overtime winner. “But the way we play [and] how hard we work for one another, we’re never giving up. 

“Today — a lot of guys are from Toronto — [we] showed some character [and] found a way to get the win for everyone. [Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic] played unbelievably. We talked about finding ways to win games; I mean, I say it all the time. But it’s all that matters right now.”

"It's all that matters right now."

Alex Wennberg detailed the Sharks' unrelenting effort in Toronto 💪 pic.twitter.com/LZDSbzMkOJ

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 12, 2025

Wennberg finished with the game-winner and two assists. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov scored his first goal as a Shark. Center Macklin Celebrini and left wing William Eklund each had one assist. Nedeljkovic collected 30 saves. And defenseman John Klingberg, continuing his recent resurgence, finished with one goal and one assist.

San Jose could’ve accepted its fate on the road in another country. However, the Sharks kept swimming and trusted each other to find life, especially in the final frame.

“Just when we came in [to start the third period], the belief that we could still come back and win the game was fully there in the room; everybody believed it,” defenseman Sam Dickinson said, enjoying the outcome of his first NHL game in his hometown. “I think when we went out there, that was all it was, just going out playing for each other, wanting to get a win.

“And we came out with the result we wanted.”

All three goals from tonight's comeback win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Jmhun9cCrJ

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 12, 2025

The promising stats and electric moments were rewarding. But as Wennberg and Dickinson echoed, winning is all that matters to San Jose.

And after Thursday’s thriller, the Sharks received news they value: they now have possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.

If that wasn’t the definition of a team win for the Sharks, then who knows what is.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

The Anaheim Ducks are the NHL’s surprise team of the 2025-26 season. After seven consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs and finishing as one of the NHL’s bottom 10 teams, the Ducks sit atop the Pacific Division standings and are one of the must-watch teams in the league due to their combination of talented young stars and high-event brand of hockey.

Since early in the season, the Ducks have been a team on the tip of everyone’s tongues. From podcasts to blogs to national broadcasts, different Ducks’ roster players have been highlighted by several outlets at varying points through the first 30 games of the season.

In the season’s infancy, Chris Kreider grabbed headlines, as he made a quick positive impression with his brand new club, scoring four goals in his first three games with Anaheim after spending his first 13 years with the New York Rangers.

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The narrative briefly shifted to Cutter Gauthier in early November, as by Nov. 6, he was the goal-scoring leader in the NHL, notching 10 goals (to go along with six assists) through his first 12 games on the season.

Finally, up until this week, the main headline-grabber on the Ducks roster was (and still is to a degree) budding superstar Leo Carlsson, who sits tied for eighth among the NHL’s scoring leaders with 38 points (16-22=38) through his first 30 games of the season.

The spotlight has shifted slightly again, as after back-to-back-to-back two-point games, rookie Beckett Sennecke is currently the NHL’s scoring leader among rookies and has catapulted himself into the Calder Trophy conversation. Through 30 games, Sennecke has tallied 26 points (10-16=30), giving himself a cushion on Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, who has 23 points (6-17=23) in 29 games, and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who has 22 points (8-14=22) in 31 games.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence. These guys have so much talent, and they’re so young,” Ducks forward Alex Killorn said after the Ducks' 7-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. “For them to get points and to get confidence, momentum, you don’t see a ton of guys that young that are comfortable protecting the puck against NHL guys after coming over from juniors. He does such a good job with his poise, it’s pretty rare to see in a guy that’s that young.”

From a statistical perspective, what’s further impressive are the facts that 22 of his 26 points have come at even strength, and 12 of his 16 assists are primary assists. He’s firmly on Anaheim’s second power play unit, has only played 50:58 TOI with a man-advantage, and has only registered three power play points (1-2=3).

His primary assist count and 5v5 production highlight his play-involvement on a stride-by-stride basis and ability to drive his line consistently.

Before the season, there were questions about what the best approach was to his development. His only options were to remain in the NHL or return to the OHL to play another year with the Oshawa Generals. The Ducks decided to keep him on the roster to start the year and see how he would develop.

He struggled to adjust during his preseason and rookie camp performances, specifically in the areas of wall play and puck management. Regardless, and following a preseason injury to center Ryan Strome, Sennecke was placed on the Ducks’ second line with Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier, giving him every opportunity to succeed and maintain his position in the lineup and in the NHL.

“Maintain” can now be considered an understatement. He scored four points (2-2=4) in his first three NHL games and made several typical “rookie” adjustment mistakes during his first few weeks in the league, but has since not only kept his head above water, but he’s now one of the most impactful offensive weapons on one of the NHL’s best offensive teams.

“I think with every game, every practice, especially, you get more comfortable making those plays, especially at the top of the zone,” Sennecke said after the Ducks’ 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Friday, where he logged his first of three straight two-point games. He scored a goal and added a highlight-reel assist in that game, where he mohawked at the top of the offensive zone to freeze Caps forward Connor McMichael, before slicing high to low in the zone and finding a streaking Gauthier in the slot.

“You definitely don’t want to turn it over up there,” Sennecke continued. “It’s something you kind of get used to with time, how much space you have, how much defenders are going to bite, and that’s what you’re trying to get them to do as an offensive guy.”

Impressively, Sennecke has translated the aspects of his game that made him a dynamic player in the OHL over the past two seasons, leading up to and following his selection as the third-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. His puck skills stand out as elite, but he’s now manipulating the best defenders in the world while both cleverly and aggressively attacking defensive structures, and creating high-danger opportunities seemingly out of thin air. His forechecking and recognition of opposing attacks have led to him disrupting multiple plays and turning pucks up ice and into offensive sequences.

“Yeah, he’s got evasiveness that is a little bit unpredictable,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said of Sennecke’s skill. “A lot of guys haven’t seen him yet, and I think they’re still trying to gauge him with what the next move could be, because he’s so slippery. He’s got that long reach; sometimes it looks like you’ve got him, but he finds a way to keep on that puck. I think his (linemates) have been doing a good job to complement him as well.

“It’s a great asset to have, a great strength in the skill department,” Quenneville added when asked about Sennecke’s deception. “Whether it’s deceiving or deception, whether it’s speed, or where the puck is off your stick, being aware of what he’s going to do with his stick, it’s an art, and you have to appreciate when you have guys that are able to do it, and you get to enjoy it some nights.”

What has come as a welcome surprise has been his willingness and approach toward battling his way to the front of the net, whether on or off-puck. He’s constantly mixing it up with opposing net-front defenders and pushing boundaries when trying to find the line when it comes to how much he can get away with in that area of the ice. Simply put, he’s a hockey player and a competitor.

“He’s doing great. He’s a young player. He’s big, he’s strong, he can pull a puck,” Ducks forward Ross Johnston said of the Ducks’ youngest roster player, with whom he’s played on a line for spells during the season. “As a power forward, he’s nice to play with because he can finish, and you’ve just got to feed him the puck.”

Sennecke turned a specific area of weakness into a strength: his wall play. In the preseason and in his first few NHL games, he struggled engaging against some of the strongest and wittiest opponents he’d faced to date, often getting pushed off the puck or struggling to make quick, smart decisions. Since then, he’s been baiting defenders, rolling off of them, or moving pucks to teammates or safe areas before having to battle. He’s keeping his feet moving on-puck, drawing attention and opening up space for himself and teammates on the ice.

“I think he’s strong now, I think he’s only going to get stronger,” Quenneville said when asked about his puck protection ability and how he plays in the small areas of the ice. “With him, he’s long, and he’s got that reach, and he’s deceptive, and he can put it in different areas and not lose momentum when he’s getting it back up to where he needs it. He’s tricky.”

Sennecke will have to maintain this level of production, perhaps even increasing it if he’s to overtake Schaefer in the Calder Trophy conversation. For how impressive Sennecke’s been, Schaefer is currently the New York Islanders’ undisputed #1 defenseman, tied for 11th in scoring among all NHL defensemen, and averages 23:36 TOI per game, including 3:36 on the power play and 1:15 on the penalty kill. He’s already one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

BetMGM currently has Schaefer favored to win the Calder Trophy, with -210 odds. Sennecke is right behind him with +375 odds, and Demidov is third with +550 odds. There are still over 50 games left to play in the season, and a lot can change very quickly. The Ducks are simply happy to have Sennecke on board and making such a sizable impact game-to-game.

“He’s perfect. He’s growing into the game, for sure,” Ducks leading scorer Leo Carlsson said when asked about having Sennecke as a teammate. “He’s getting stronger and better, too. He’s just so dangerous, so unpredictable with the puck. He’s going to be insane in a few years.”

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-1 Victory over the Blackhawks

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Shootout Win over the Capitals

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-0 Loss to the Mammoth

The NHL is bringing its annual Winter Classic to South Florida, an experience that promises to be much more than just a hockey game.

This season, the 2026 Winter Classic will take place at loanDepot park, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, and feature the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers, an Original Six franchise that is celebrating its centennial season.

Next week, the league will begin its takeover what's normally a baseball haven and turn it into a hockey winter wonderland, which will be interesting to see in Miami. 

The process of installing the ice and transforming the baseball field into a hockey rink will be quite an undertaking, which is why it will start several weeks ahead of the game itself. 

Speaking of the game, in addition to attending the southernmost outdoor hockey game in NHL history, fans coming to the event will have plenty to do in and around the ballpark.

That’s because the league is holding an outdoor fan festival that it’s calling the 2026 Enterprise NHL Pregame.

The festival will take place on Jan. 2 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be open to all Winter Classic ticket holders.

It will be held in West Lot 3 and the West Plaza of loanDepot Park.

Among the many interactions and experiences that will be offered at the festival will be a face-off challenge presented by Discover, a shooting drill activation presented by Energizer, a personalized Winter Classic trading card setup by Upper Deck as well as other activities and product samples from Body Armor, Jersey Mike’s, Fanatics, Perry Ellis and more.

There will also be a special appearance from the most historic trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup.

The NHL on TNT crew will hold a special live performance ahead of the game, featuring the broadcast crew of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter and Lian McHugh.

For more information on the NHL's Winter Classic Pregame outdoor festival, click here.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Robby Fabbri was always hopeful to return when it all began but wasn’t sure if it would happen.

But there he was, wearing the Bluenote again after the St. Louis Blues selected the forward with their first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

“When you leave, you never think you’re going to go back, right,” Fabbri said. “But I loved my time here, a lot of memories here, so just very excited to be back. I know my family is as well.”

The 29-year-old, who was just a baby-faced kid when he was here his first stint that ended with a trade to the Detroit Red Wings in 2019, was smiling from ear-to-ear in the locker room after a morning skate Thursday prior to the Blues (11-13-7) facing the Nashville Predators (11-14-4) at 7 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM). Fabbri will be in the lineup, playing on a third line with Pius Suter and Dalibor Dvorsky, with a feeling like no other.

“It’s going to be a long time,” Fabbri said. “You get that feeling when I’ve come back from my injuries (two major knee injuries in St. Louis) and a lot of things like that. This last little bit adversity-wise has been pretty up there, pretty tough compared to some injuries and stuff like that. To get back out here and to do it in a Blue Note again is going to be really exciting.”

Fabbri signed a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $775,000 NHL, $300,000 AHL on Wednesday after playing three games with Charlotte of the American Hockey League with the Blues down five forwards (Jimmy Smuggerud, Jordan Kyrou, Nick Bjugstad, Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko) due to various injuries.

“It kind of just worked out pretty quick,” Fabbri said. “I was in Charlotte playing some games and some injuries were happening over here, but they were watching some games and it kind of just came about early in the week and we just finished it up. I’m glad it was quick and I’m glad it was here.”

It was a difficult summer for Fabbri, who was playing for a contract for the first time since he was drafted. Stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers on professional tryouts yielded no contract.

“My injuries have kind of prepped me for adversity like this,” Fabbri said. ‘This is obviously a different type of adversity. Any free agent loves to sign on July 1st and be done with it. That’s just now how it went for me, but at the end of the day, I’ve done it my whole career. I’ve had to come back and prove myself after every injury and after anything that’s ever happened. I think I’m prepped to do that. I’ve prepared to do that unintentionally my whole career. It was a difficult summer, but I just had my second daughter (Sophia) two weeks ago. So that distraction and my two-year-old right now (Mara), family means the most always. I’m just thankful for my wife and for them to be there for this.”

The transition should be seamless, considering Fabbri was part – albeit a smaller role at the time – of the Stanley Cup-winning Blues in 2019, and will play with teammates Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, Oskar Sundqvist, Colton Parayko and Jordan Binnington, as well as coaches Steve Ott and David Alexander on that roster.

“He knows enough guys in this room, including trainers and coaches,” Schenn said. “He’s going to come here, I know he’s super excited to be here. He always wanted to come back here and have another crack at it. We’re excited to have him back and he’s equally, if not more excited, to be wearing a Bluenote again.

“I talked to him this morning on the way to the rink and it’s seamless. You go into a new team and you don’t know anyone or not many people here you know, but he feels right back at home again. When you have that mentality and mindset, the adjustment period isn’t as long and he’ll be able to hopefully come right in and make an impact for us. Just a great guy to be around too. He brings a lot of energy, will have a voice in the room, he’s not afraid to talk.”

Fabbri is now obviously more mature and a wiser player than his first stint in St. Louis.

“I’ve obviously grown up off the ice, but I think my game’s matured, just positionally and everything like that over the years, even with experience, learning the right way to play,” Fabbri said. “I probably had a little junior still in me when I was here in St. Louis early on. But I think my game’s matured a lot, being able to play on both sides of the puck, penalty kill, power play, all those types of things has evolved over the years.”

Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on Wednesday Fabbri would be in the lineup, and his decision to start him playing with Suter and Dvorsky was almost a no-brainer.

“This guy has over 100 goals, has been known as an offensive player for a long time, so his speed, his smarts his tenacity in and around the net, his ability to finish should complement those two guys well,” Montgomery said.

Fabbri, who has 216 points (106 goals, 110 assists) in 442 NHL games, wore No. 15 when he was first with the Blues, then No. 14 with the Red Wings and last season when he played for the Anaheim Ducks, No. 13. He’ll wear No. 9 this time around with the Blues.

“I wore nine in junior,” Fabbri said before joking, “This is kind of just a fresh start, a new era of myself. Some guy by the name of Steve Ott had nine when I came in my first year, so that was kind of taken early on. I just wanted to kind of change it up and get a fresh start over here.”

A fresh start and a fresh perspective.

“The transition is kind of seamless from the staff to the players, just a lot of familiar faces,” fabbri said. “It makes it easy for any player to come into a locker room. It’s just exciting to get back to work with these guys that you won a championship with.”

- - -

The Blues will be going back to some familiar faces on Thursday on their blue line.

Montgomery is reuniting Cam Fowler with Parayko and Philip Broberg and Justin Faulk as the top four once again, a quartet that was instrumental in the team’s success last season that fueled their run to the playoffs.

“Really, it’s just the familiarity like last year,” Montgomery said. “We were at our best when the pairings were like that. That’s a little bit of it, and it feels like our D-corps got a little stale in the last game, so just giving them a new outlook. You’ve got a different partner, maybe you get excited again, just fresh energy.”

And some of those things that need to look different that were detriments on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins?

“Our D-zone coverage, stopping in the D-zone, boxing out at the net front,” Montgomery said. ‘We didn’t do a good enough job last game, our habits got away from us. And then conversely playing to the goal line and being ready and having that mentality that, ‘we’re going to play the right way for 60 minutes and grind out a one-goal win.’”

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn-Mathieu Joseph

Pius Suter-Dalibor Dvorsky-Robby Fabbri

Hugh McGing-Oskar Sundqvist-Aleksanteri Kaskimaki

Cam Fowler-Colton Parayko

Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk

Tyler Tucker-Logan Mailloux

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Matt Luff and Matthew Kessel. Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Alexey Toropchenko (leg burns), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are all out.

- - -

Predators Projected Lineup:

Steven Stamkos-Ryan O’Reilly-Luke Evangelista

Filip Forsberg-Fedor Svechkov-Matthew Wood

Michael Bunting-Erik Haula-Jonathan Marchessault

Reid Schaefer-Michael McCarron

Nicolas Hague-Roman Josi

Brady Skjei-Nick Perbix

Spencer Stastney-Nick Blankenburg

Adam Wilsby

Juuse Saros will start in goal; Justus Annunen will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Tyson Jost. Ozzy Wiesblatt (upper body), Cole Smith (lower body) and Justin Barron (lower body) are out.

Blues Make Official Signing of Dillon Dube To AHL Professional TryoutThe forward was one of five players from Canada's 2018 World Junior team charged with sexual assault from an incident in June of 2018, acquitted earlier this year

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Who'd have thought that a contingency waiver claim could stake a claim as the potential number one netminder on a perennial contender, while making NHL history at the same time?

It sounds crazy, but that's exactly what Brandon Bussi is doing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 27-year-old netminder has seized the opportunity presented to him and he's seemingly cemented himself as the Canes' number one netminder.

To start his NHL career, Bussi has a 0.909 save percentage, one shutout and an 9-1-0 record, becoming just the fifth goaltenders in NHL history to record nine wins within their first 10 career starts (Igor Shesterkin, Frederik Andersen, Bob Froese, Frank Brimsek).

And he'll be getting the chance to do something only one other netminder in NHL history has done tonight as he is set for start number 11.

Bussi will be getting the chance to join Bob Froese as the only other goalie in NHL history to win 10 wins in his first 11 starts (Froese started his career 12-0-1) on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, the second time he's started in consecutive games so far this season.

"I don't think we envisioned him going in an every-day rotation or a back-to-back, but he's earned that," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour Thursday morning.

You'd think that an NHL rookie would be a little caught up in the emotions of everything that's gone on along the way, but if you asked the 27-year-old netminder if this stretch or the moments within it have even felt surreal, you'd probably be fairly surprised by his blasé attitude.

"My job is to stop the puck as much as I can and I just take it day-by-day," Bussi said. "It feels good to get wins. Our team's been playing really well in most of these wins if not all of them, so it feels good. Gonna try and keep it going.

"He doesn't get shaken," said teammate Seth Jarvis. "I think obviously the position he was in coming in, a bad goal or something could have ruined his confidence, but I think he's incredibly confident in himself and knows that. And for us, knowing we have a guy back there that makes timely saves and will bail us out when need be is huge."

Hurricanes Goalie Brandon Bussi Unveils New MaskHurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi debuts a custom mask, a vibrant tribute to autism awareness and personal family connection, featuring unique artistry.

---

Bussi is writing quite the story in Carolina and it's only been getting better and better.

It's gone from a feel good story of a rookie doing well, to actually looking like a potentially game-changing acquisition for the Hurricanes.

"It doesn't matter if you're 22 or 26, especially when you're a goalie," said teammate Taylor Hall. "There's no direct path to being what you are and when you're big and athletic like he is in the net, you just need to keep going. I think he's only going to get better and better."

The 6-foot-4, New York native has positioned himself as the top netminder not only for the Hurricanes but currently in the league as well.

And it isn't like Bussi has been insulated by the Canes' play either. Sure, he's not facing 30 shots a night, but the saves that he's being asked to make are shorthanded breakaways, 2-on-1s, and overall just multiple high-danger chances game after game and he's been absolutely incredible.

"That's what goaltending's really about," Brind'Amour said. "If you can make the saves at crucial times, that's what I think goaltending is really about. You're supposed to make the ones you're supposed to make and make a couple that you're not supposed to make, but when you make them, I think, is real important too."

Bussi is currently leading the Canes in goals saved above expected (7.5) according to moneypuck.com and is actually leading the entire league in high-danger save percentage (0.888) according to NHL Edge.

"He's been great for us," Brind'Amour said. "He's come up with the timely saves and that's how I sum it up. Because it's not like we've bene leaving him out to dry or giving up 40 shots a night. It's not that, but if there's a breakaway here or there all of a sudden, those are huge moments in tight games and every game, you could kind of say the same story. Timely saves that allow us to have a chance. That's what you ask of him."

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While essentially an unknown to the league and the greater hockey world when he made his NHL debut, Bussi wasn't just a random claim by the Hurricanes.

The Western Michigan University product went undrafted out of college, but a strong three seasons with the Providence Bruins put him on the Hurricanes' radar.

His name kept coming up in organizational meetings during the summer and he was a player that the team knew they'd want to keep an eye on.

"He was somebody I identified in the summertime," said Hurricanes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder. "He obviously ended up signing in Florida, but he was somebody who was on my list of people to go after. I had him down as somebody who, he obviously played down in the American league for three years, but was ready to make that jump to the NHL."

And as fate would have it, a chance came on the waiver wire and the rest is history.

"The hockey world can be crazy at times," Bussi recalls.

From one of the hundreds of players hoping and praying for the chance to prove their mettle, to standing on the verge of making NHL history in just a few months.

"I think they know who he is now," Jarvis said. "He's been electric. He's the best guy. No one I'm happier for."

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