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Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

3 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ 2-1 Win Over Sabres

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 5:30 PM ET

For the final time during the 2025-26 regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes took on the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams have won in the previous two meetings. In the rubber match, who was going to win the season series? In the end, the Hurricanes defeated the Sabres 2-1.

Takeaway #1: Andrei Svechnikov Keeps Scoring

One of the big takeaways is that Andrei Svechnikov can’t stop scoring. His 17th of the season tied the game for the Hurricanes in the first period. It was his fifth goal in three games, giving him seven points over that stretch. He’s up to 17 goals and 42 points in 50 games as he turns back the clock to his 2021-22 and 2022-23 form, where he had 69 and 55 points, respectively. He also had the primary assist on the Seth Jarvis power-play goal, which ended up being the game-winning tally. If the Hurricanes want to keep rolling as they have been, Svechnikov needs to keep this current form going.

Not only did Svechnikov have a multipoint game, but Sebastian Aho had two assists to give him seven points (all assists) in the last three games. He’s been on a run for Rod Brind’Amour’s team, as the duo of Aho and Svechnikov has been chugging along for the last few weeks. No matter if it’s Jarvis or Nikolaj Ehlers on that line, it seems like Svechnikov and Aho keep finding each other to make big plays.

Takeaway #2: Brandon Bussi Is Unreal

What more can you say about Brandon Bussi? He has taken not only Raleigh, but the hockey world by storm after winning his 18th game in 22 starts. Against the Sabres, he saved 17 of 18 shots, leading the way to a .944 save percentage. Not only that, but he provided the save of the year as he performed grand larceny on Tage Thompson. Thompson thought he had Bussi beat on a 2-on-0, and somehow Bussi was able to throw the glove up and rob what was a surefire goal. It was one of at least three or four highway robbery saves he performed on Thompson throughout the game.

If it wasn’t for Bussi, who knows how this game would have gone, as he had 10-bell saves all afternoon. During the TNT intermission break, former New York Rangers goalie and now analyst, Henrik Lundqvist, stated about Bussi, “I don’t think this is a fluke.” That’s some high praise from a player Bussi idolized growing up.

Bussi has now had four wins in his last five starts, putting him at 18-3-1 on the season with a 2.20 goals-against average (GAA) and a .906 SV%. He keeps giving reasons to earn an extension, especially on a night when the team needed him the most. The Bus driver keeps rolling along with Carolina.

Takeaway #3: Power Play Keeps On Rolling

After going 1-for-2 on the power play, the Hurricanes are now at 21.8% on the season. They’re 33-for-151, following the Jarvis power-play goal in the third period. It still keeps them ranked 13th in the NHL, only behind the Chicago Blackhawks (22.1%), Minnesota Wild (22.4%), and New York Rangers (22.7%) for 10th in the league. It’s been small tweaks here and there since early January, but the Hurricanes’ special teams have been on a roll, almost at supernova levels of hot in terms of the power play.

There’s no definitive answer as to why it’s gone from dead last to 13th in over a month, but one thing is for certain: the Hurricanes are clicking on all cylinders. Once the whole team is healthy, they could be a force to be reckoned with as the season progresses.

The Hurricanes are now sitting at 31-15-4 after the win over the Sabres. They’re on a three-game winning streak and just keep finding ways to win. After being the second team in the NHL to reach 30-plus wins, the only other being the Colorado Avalanche, they are poised to reclaim the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. As we get closer to the Olympic break, can the Hurricanes keep the train going full steam ahead?