Bruins Notes: Brandon Bussi’s Growth On Display In Preseason Finale

Boston Bruins goalie Brandon Bussi looked to get more and more comfortable as the preseason went along.

He sure looked it Saturday night in Boston's 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena to close out its preseason slate.

Bussi put together a strong 30-save performance, which was more than good enough for head coach Jim Montgomery to call it "the only reason it was a close game." It certainly was a high point for Bussi in the preseason, too. He went from allowing four goals in the first 25 minutes of play against the New York Rangers last month to consistently thwarting Washington's offensive chances.

"I think he got better and better, and obviously, this was his best game," Montgomery told reporters, per team-provided video. "So, I think every outing he got better and same thing in practice."

Bussi's outing was highlighted by denying Capitals winger Andrew Mangiapane on a breakaway bid in the third period. Bussi got down on all fours on the play and used his length to extend his right pad to the goalpost and stonewall Mangiapane.

"Just try to make him make the first move," Bussi told reporters, per team-provided video. "If I remember, (he) pulled one way, pulled the other way, so kind of got me stretched out. But I got long limbs, so I got to use them to my advantage."

Montgomery already said Joonas Korpisalo will be the starter for the regular-season opener while Jeremy Swayman's contract situation remains unresolved. Bussi certainly showed enough to earn the backup job.

When Bussi does get his shot between the pipes for the Bruins in the regular season, it will mark his NHL debut. And the 26-year-old will hope his newfound comfort level will display that he's right where he belongs.

"Obviously, there's a lot of really talented hockey players in the AHL, but the NHL is the best for many reasons," Bussi said.

Here are more notes from Saturday's Bruins-Capitals game:

-- Brad Marchand played his first preseason game since exiting Tuesday's exhibition contest due to illness. The game helped Marchand with his conditioning, but that was about it with the Bruins captain on the ice for both of Washington's goals.

-- The Bruins shut down all three of Washington's power plays and killed off 20-of-24 (83.3%) penalties in the preseason.

"I think the penalty kill has been a bright spot in the entire camp, especially in the exhibition games," Montgomery said.

-- Jackson Edward is a longshot to make the Bruins roster, but the 20-year-old defenseman did his best to make Montgomery second-guess keeping him with Providence for the season. Edward turned in a gritty performance against the Capitals as he totaled a game-high four blocks and threw his 6-foot-2, 193-pound frame around to tally four hits.

-- Parker Wotherspoon didn't help his case to snag one of the final roster spots. He committed five turnovers in 21:27 of ice time and committed a roughing penalty in the third period.

-- The Bruins wrapped up the preseason with a 2-4-1 record and were 0-3-1 away from TD Garden.

-- Boston opens up its 2024-25 regular season Tuesday night against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who will raise their championship banner with the Bruins in town. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and ESPN will have the telecast of the game. NESN will have an hour of pre- and postgame coverage.