2025-26 Regular Season, Game 4 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Anaheim Ducks

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes began their six-game road trip with an emphatic 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. The first period was all about Brandon Bussi, the 27-year-old netminder making his NHL debut after years in the minors. The team in front of him, playing without defensive stalwart Jaccob Slavin, struggled to prevent the Sharks from producing high-danger chances, but Bussi was there to close the door. Sean Walker got the party rolling early in the second by smacking a one-timer home from the point. William Eklund tied the game with a breakaway tally shortly after, but that's all the offense they mustered. William Carrier restored the Canes' lead by pushing home Alexander Nikishin's chance after it hit the post, and Eric Robinson buried a breakaway after an excellent aerial stretch pass by Mike Reilly, who was also making his team debut. Shayne Gostisbehere and Jackson Blake provided the insurance goals in the third to put the Canes away for good. The team didn't allow a shot in the final 20 minutes, as Bussi made 16 stops to earn the first win of his career.

Injury Report
Jaccob Slavin: The head coach said before Tuesday's game that Slavin will be out "a while", which could mean that he's out for the entire road trip, but we don't know that for sure.
Pyotr Kochetkov: Also not on the trip and after Bussi's performance on Tuesday, I'm not sure whether the Canes need to rush Kochetkov back either. He could join the group once they leave California, but nothing is known right now.

The Opponent: Anaheim Ducks (2-1-0, 4 Points; 80 Points, 6th in the Pacific last season)
Last Season's Meetings: The Ducks visited Raleigh the same afternoon that the Hurricanes retired Eric Staal's jersey in January. Anaheim led 2-0 early in the third period before a furious comeback by the Hurricanes. Andrei Svechnikov broke Lukas Dostal's shutout on the power play, and Seth Jarvis scored in the final minute to force overtime. Cutter Gauthier would have the last laugh, scoring his second of the afternoon in extra time to steal a 3-2 victory. The Canes visited The Pond in March and returned serve. The star of the night was Taylor Hall, who scored three times in the third period to secure a hat trick and a 5-2 victory for Carolina on the road. Dostal made 67 saves across both contests. 

Since We Last Met: The Ducks were slight overachievers last season, finishing with 80 points. They made a few big moves this offseason, signing Mikael Granlund, trading for Chris Kreider, and trading away both Trevor Zegras and John Gibson. Many have predicted the Ducks to be dark horses to make the playoffs this season, and I can see why. They're a strong blend of veterans and youngsters, and they have a goalie they seem to trust in Lukas Dostal, who was one of the Ducks to ink an extension this summer, along with Mason McTavish and Jackson LaCombe. After dropping their opener to Seattle, the Ducks have responded with a 7-6 overtime win over the Sharks and a last-minute win against the Penguins. This feels like their first big test of the campaign, defending home ice against the Canes.

Stories to Watch
1. Can the power play get going?
While the Canes' offense has been humming through the first three games, the power play is still trying to figure some things out, especially the first unit. They've yet to score a goal on the man advantage, with the second unit finding the only PPG during their Opening Night victory against the Devils, courtesy of K'Andre Miller. It would be nice to see them break out at some point because the voices are only going to get louder with continued struggles.

2. Freddie vs. the Ducks
With Bussi getting the start in San Jose, it stands to reason that Frederik Andersen will be between the pipes on Thursday. Since departing Anaheim in 2016, Andersen has faced his former team eight times, and he has performed very well. Sitting a 5-2-0, Andersen holds a .927 save percentage and a 2.14 GAA. He is 3-1-0 against them since joining the Canes, including a 35-save performance last season when they visited Anaheim in March. 

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