Rod Brind’Amour has a secret. He knows who is starting in net for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. He just isn’t telling. Not yet.
It is a classic hockey mind game, and the Carolina Hurricanes coach is loving every second of it. “It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that I have to hold onto,” Brind’Amour smirked on Monday. He admitted the drama has taken on a life of its own. He likes it that way.
Meanwhile, regular starter Frederik Andersen skipped Monday’s practice. The team called it a “maintenance day.” Sure. But after getting yanked in Game 3, the goalie’s status is anything but routine.
Why the sudden mystery? Because Game 3 was a disaster. Vegas lit up Andersen for four goals in a brutal second period. Mitch Marner notched a hat trick. Two more Vegas goals were waved off. It was ugly. Brind’Amour yanked his starter and threw Brandon Bussi into the fire for the third period and two grueling overtimes.
Bussi delivered. He hadn’t played since mid-April, yet he stopped 18 of 19 shots. He even stuffed Marner on a penalty shot. The only puck that beat him was a fluke bounce off Shea Theodore’s stick. He is fresh. He is hot. Andersen, on the other hand, looks exhausted after carrying the load all spring.
But you don’t just abandon your horse at the finish line. Andersen got them here. He dominated the first two rounds. He is a veteran who knows how to bounce back from a shelling. Besides, Game 3 wasn’t entirely his fault. One goal was tipped in by his own defenseman. Another was the result of a defensive collapse. He also took a shot to the head from Ivan Barbashev, though the team insists he is fine.
It is a brutal choice. Stick with the tired veteran who brought you to the dance, or gamble on the hot backup with ice in his veins? Brind’Amour has made his choice. We just have to wait for the puck to drop to find out what it is.
