DENVER (AP) 鈥� So much has changed for Carter Hart since his last Stanley Cup playoffs run. The one constant is his stellar play in net.
In 2020, he was a 21-year-old starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers, going 9-6 in their run to the second round in the Eastern Conference during the Toronto bubble, posting a .926 save percentage and two shutouts.
After serving time in hockey exile while mired in the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal 鈥� for which he was acquitted 鈥� Hart joined the Vegas Golden Knights last December. He’s sparked them in these playoffs, going 9-4 and helping the Golden Knights steal home ice with a in the opener of their Western Conference Final on Wednesday night.
鈥淲e know they鈥檙e a good team,” said Hart, who has a .920 save percentage in these playoffs while allowing just 2.35 goals per game. 鈥淲e know they got a lot of skill on their team and we respect that, but you can鈥檛 respect them too much. And I thought we did a good job of defending and limiting their time in space and I thought we blocked a lot of shots tonight and got in a lot of lanes and tied up some sticks.鈥�
Hart was stellar in stopping the pucks that reached him, turning away 36 of 38 shots. The only ones he allowed to get through were a between-the-legs aberration by Valeri Nichushkin and a late goal from Gabe Landeskog when the Avs had pulled goaltender Scott Wedgewood on a power play for a two-man advantage.
鈥淐arter Hart鈥檚 a hell of a goalie,鈥� said Golden Knights coach John Tortorella, who took over in Vegas on March 29 and who also coached Hart in Philadelphia. “He was great in Philly for me, and we鈥檝e got two good ones, you know. (Adin Hill)’s kind of been put off to the side a little bit, that鈥檚 a guy that just won a Stanley Cup a couple years ago.
“But Carter, I think he鈥檚 grown so strong mentally. I don鈥檛 think much bothers him. He is just zeroed in. And he鈥檚 going to have to be, because we鈥檝e got a lot of work to do here.鈥�
The respect is mutual.
鈥淵eah, I think he鈥檚 done a great job coming in here,鈥� Hart said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 never easy coming in late in the season like he did and I think he鈥檚 done a tremendous job of just rallying the group and earning the guys鈥� trust and I really enjoy playing for him. I enjoyed playing for him in Philly and I鈥檓 happy he鈥檚 here.鈥�
Beginning in early 2024, Hart was placed on an indefinite leave of absence from hockey after he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada鈥檚 2018 world junior team as part of the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal; he was acquitted of all charges last year and resumed his career with Vegas.
The league reviewed the case and agreed to allow the acquitted defendants to play starting Dec. 1, 2025. Hart was the first of those five Canada junior players to agree to an NHL deal, signing a two-year, $4 million contract before working with Vegas鈥� American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada.
After he agreed to sign, Hart read a statement to reporters that, in part, said he wanted 鈥渢o show the community my true character and who I am and what I鈥檓 about.鈥�
He’s also showing how much help he can be for Vegas’ hopes of winning another Stanley Cup. He made 10 stops in the scoreless first period as the Golden Knights served notice that they weren’t going to be like the Los Angeles Kings or Minnesota Wild, who went a combined 1-8 against Colorado in prior rounds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge,鈥� Hart said. 鈥淭o come out like we did, I thought we came out really good in the first period and I know this is a hard building to play in and it was huge for us just to get rolling and just start off the right way and then build off that.鈥�
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