WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Stankoven saved Brandon Bussi's winning streak, and then the rookie goalie took it from there.
Bussi stopped all three Washington attempts in a shootout to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Capitals on Thursday night. The Hurricanes trailed 2-1 when Stankoven tied the game with 2:15 remaining.
Bussi, who was picked up off waivers by Carolina in early October, has now won eight straight games. He's also 10-1-0 — the fastest goalie to reach 10 wins.
“Our goaltender was just great tonight again. That allowed us to pull it out,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “Love making history in that form. Just when you get to know him, the story, and such a great kid. He's really earned every minute of this.”
The 27-year-old Bussi has posted a goals-against average of 2.07, and Thursday he helped Carolina pull into a tie with Washington atop the Eastern Conference. Nic Dowd's goal put the Capitals up 2-1 with 8:28 left, but Stankoven took advantage when the puck bounced to him in the left circle and tied the game.
“We're playing good hockey. It's nice to be a small part of it,” Bussi said. “Coming up when I'm needed, but ultimately we're playing really good hockey. It makes my life easy.”
The Hurricanes outshot the Capitals 29-9 through the first two periods before Jordan Martinook challenged Dowd to a fight at the start of the third, taking exception to a hit the Washington forward had dealt out earlier on Shayne Gostisbehere. The two dropped the gloves 2 seconds into the period.
“I appreciate him taking it,” Martinook said. “Just sticking up for my boy.”
The Capitals played much better in the third, outshooting Carolina 13-10 in that period, but Bussi allowed only Dowd's goal and the game went to overtime.
Seth Jarvis scored the only goal of the shootout.
After playing in only eight of the Hurricanes' first 26 games, Bussi has been in three of the last four. That included a win Tuesday over Columbus and Thursday's showdown between the top two teams in the conference standings.
“When I hear my name's called, I'm ready to go,” Bussi said. “Whether it's sit for a few weeks or back to back, I trust myself and I'm ready to go.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) deflects a puck shot by Washington Capitals left wing Sonny Milano (15) during the shootout of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi, second from right, celebrtaes with defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21), left wing Taylor Hall (71) and left wing Eric Robinson (50) after an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) tries to get the puck past Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Russian athletes have told the International Luge Federation that they obtained visas and are coming to the U.S. for a World Cup race next weekend, a move that Ukrainian athletes believe is simply unfair.
And it might not be long before Russians are competing on the bobsled and skeleton circuits again as well, with the federation that runs those sports releasing a list Friday of nine cleared athletes — two bobsledders and seven skeleton sliders.
The Russian luge team — about six athletes — is planning to compete in Lake Placid, New York, in an effort to boost fledgling hopes of qualifying for the Milan Cortina Olympics that are coming in February. Russia is not racing at this weekend's World Cup luge competition in Park City, Utah, despite some claims from Russian officials in recent days that they would be there.
Russia has not seen its athletes compete in a World Cup luge race since that country invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago. The war rages on, and now Ukrainian athletes are bracing for the likelihood of crossing paths with Russians in competition. It's of no consolation to the Ukrainian sliders that the Russians — if they arrive — will be competing as neutral athletes and not under their nation's flag.
“They are not neutral,” Ukrainian luge athlete Anton Dukach said. “They support war.”
Dukach is Ukraine's top Olympic hopeful in luge. He believes that, if he hadn't made it into a shelter in time, he would have been killed two years ago when a Russian rocket hit his apartment. Some of his neighbors, he said, died in that attack.
He's lost many friends and classmates in the war. He races with them in mind and cannot understand why Russians — who haven't been allowed to compete in many sports because of the war — now have sliders and others being given a shot at making it to the Olympics.
The neutrality issue is paramount. Certain sports federations are preparing to let Russian athletes compete, but only after they are cleared in what is described as an independent review process to ensure that they have not publicly supported the war and are not affiliated with Russia's military or other forces.
“Of course I don’t support this decision,” Dukach said. “The FIL and the (International Olympic Committee) said they are neutral, but I don’t think so. We have proof and we already sent evidence that they are not neutral.”
Russian sliders have been trying for several days, through an office in Kazakhstan, to get visas that would allow them to enter the U.S. The luge World Cups in the U.S. — this weekend in Park City, next weekend in Lake Placid — are part of a five-race Olympic qualifying series, which started with a competition at the Olympic venue in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy last month.
The Russians were allowed to compete there and crossed paths with the Ukrainians. It was not a World Cup event and wasn't open to spectators. No Russian finished better than 19th there, which didn't exactly get the Olympic quest off to a flying start.
U.S. luge athlete Ashley Farquharson said she found herself sitting a room at the track, getting ready to race when she noticed that the other sliders alongside her were Russians and Ukrainians.
“It was a little awkward,” Farquharson said. “I think they all felt the same way.”
The State Department generally doesn't comment on individual visa situations and did not confirm that the Russian applications were approved. It did, however, offer this statement: "We are doing everything possible to support major international sporting events hosted by the United States without sacrificing our national security.”
Meanwhile, the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said the nine athletes — along with nine support staff such as coaches and a doctor — have been declared neutral and should be allowed to compete in certain women's skeleton, men's skeleton and women's monobob events. They are not competing at Lillehammer, Norway, this weekend and could have up to four World Cup opportunities before the Olympics, with race weekends upcoming in Sigulda, Latvia; St. Moritz, Switzerland; Winterberg, Germany; and Altenberg, Germany.
As is the case with the luge athletes, the Russians in bobsled and skeleton will have a very tough time qualifying for the Olympics.
The IOC has indicated that it wants Russians to have the opportunity to compete as neutral athletes at the Milan Cortina Games. However, each sport’s own federation controls the qualifying events. In events like skiing, snowboarding, bobsled, skeleton and luge, governing bodies originally refused to allow any Russians to take part, then amended those decisions after appeals.
If the Russians get into a World Cup — or the Olympics — they would be competing as “Individual Neutral Athletes" and not under their homeland's flag. And even if they compete in Lake Placid, the path to Olympic qualifying may still be very murky. The two remaining Olympic qualifying races after Lake Placid are in Latvia and Germany, and obtaining visas to enter those countries may be difficult for the Russians.
“I've always been proud to represent my country,” Dukach said. “It's even more important now.”
AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE -Anton Dukach, of Ukraine, slides during the luge men's single round 3 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 6, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
Third placed Austria's Dorothea Schwarz reacts after the women's single-seater Luge World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)
Third placed Austria's Dorothea Schwarz competes during the women's single-seater Luge World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)
First placed Austria's Hannah Prock reacts after the women's single-seater Luge World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)
