Brandon Bussi will start in goal for the Hurricanes after posting a 31-6-2 record in his first full NHL season, including a 22-save shutout in his preseason finale. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from Florida in early October last season and became a cornerstone of Carolina's championship run. Now he faces the team that previously won him.
Carolina won the Metropolitan Division at 53-22-7 and defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games for its second-ever Stanley Cup title. Florida finished seventh in the Atlantic Division at 40-38-4 and enters as the healthier team despite missing Brad Marchand, according to Canes Country. The Panthers were 17-23-1 on the road last season, while the Hurricanes went 29-10-2 at home in Raleigh.
Seventy-teen Hurricanes players appeared in June's Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 victory and will skate tonight. Eric Robinson, who scored three goals in the Eastern Conference Final, gets the first chance to fill Seth Jarvis' spot on a line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Nicolas Deslauriers will add physicality against Florida's bigger roster. On defense, Charles Alexis Legault debuts next to Shayne Gostisbehere after dropping the gloves against Brady Tkachuk in a preseason exhibition.