RALEIGH — It appears that Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi will start for the second consecutive game in Thursday’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bussi was in the stater’s crease at the Hurricanes’ morning stake Thursday. Frederik Andersen, who started the first 16 postseason games for Carolina, wasn’t at the practice session open to the media.

Carolina and the Vegas Golden Knights are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven series.

“Everybody’s available,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said when asked about Andersen. “He staked this morning earlier. As far as the lineup goes, that’s all I’m going to talk about — everybody’s available.”

Brind’Amour declined to answer if Andersen, who didn’t dress in Game 4, would be the backup for Game 5. Bussi replaced Andersen after the second period in Game 3.

Bussi earned the win in Game 4 in Vegas, his first career postseason start. An undrafted free agent who was claimed off waivers before the season, Bussi went 31-6-2 in 39 games during the regular season, earning a contract extension and the trust of his team.

“There’s a guy that was given an opportunity,” Brind’Amour said. “Everyone talks about opportunity, you got to do something with it, and he’s done nothing but every start that he’s had.”

Andersen was brilliant through the first few series. But his goals against average has increased each round while his save percentage has decreased. He allowed four goals in the second period of Game 3 before he was removed.

Andersen didn’t practice with the team on the off day between Game 3 and 4, and then didn’t dress for Game 4.

“If you’re going to give him a break, you need to give him a break,” Brind’Amour said. “To me, him dressing and going through all that, that’s not really giving him a night off.” 

While much of the focus has been on the Hurricanes’ goaltender situation, Vegas is facing questions, too, about goalie Carter Hart.

Hart is 14-6 in the postseason with a 2.51 goals against average, but he has allowed four goals in each of the first four games of the series. His save percentage in the Stanley Cup Final is .877. In a four-game sweep of Colorado in the Western Conference Final, Hart allowed a total of seven goals. 

But Vegas coach John Tortorella said he’s not concerned with Hart.

“No, no, at all,”  he said.