Rookie goalie Brandon Bussi helps Hurricanes blow past Senators 4-1

OTTAWA — Another elite performance from rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi and a three-goal opening frame combined for a comfortable 4-1 win for the Carolina Hurricanes over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The first meetup between the Hurricanes and Senators opened with a ceremony honouring former head coach Jacques Martin’s induction into the Senators’ Ring of Honour. Martin was Ottawa’s bench boss between 1996 to 2004, the Jack Adams Award winner in the 1998-99 season and briefly took the helm again during their 2023-24 campaign.

The Hurricanes, who moved into top spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference with the win, took hold early when blueliner Jalen Chatfield’s cross-ice pass sprung Mark Jankowski on an odd-man rush, where he fed William Carrier cross-slot for an easy backhand tap-in to open the scoring just four minutes into the game.

Only two minutes later, Seth Jarvis beat James Reimer cleanly with a top-corner snipe from the faceoff circle to double the Hurricanes’ lead. Taylor Hall rounded out a dominant period for the visitors, piercing Reimer’s five-hole to bury the Senators 3-0 heading into the first intermission.

Nine minutes into the second period, a tripping call against Claude Giroux combined with Jake Sanderson’s high-sticking penalty from 10 seconds earlier to put Ottawa’s struggling penalty kill up against a 5-on-3 power play for the Hurricanes. Less than a minute later, Andrei Svechnikov tossed the puck in front of the Senators’ crease where it found its way through Reimer off Tyler Kleven’s skate.

Down by four, the Senators finally came up with an answer when Sanderson fed Tim Stützle for a wrist shot in-close, catching Bussi out of position to finally put the home team on the board.

But Bussi wouldn’t be beaten again, as the rookie closed out the Senators with 13 saves in the third period and 35 overall.

TAKEAWAYS

Hurricanes: Brandon Bussi keeps proving he belongs as Carolina’s starter. The Senators outshot the Hurricanes 36-19, but only beat Bussi once.

Senators: Solving struggles between the pipes is key to salvaging the 2025-26 season. Three goals allowed on the first seven shots against proved too deep a hole to crawl out of on Saturday.

KEY STAT

Carolina’s rookie goalie Brandon Bussi earned his 19th win in just 23 career games played.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.

Senators: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2026.