Golden Knights Rely on Hart as Series Stands at Critical Juncture
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are set to start goaltender Carter Hart in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, aiming to push the series to a decisive Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.
If they succeed, Hart will likely face the familiar taunts he has heard throughout this series: “No means no.”
Hart is among five former players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship-winning team who faced accusations of sexual assault tied to an incident at a hotel in London, Ontario. While all five—Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Dillon Dube, and Alex Formenton—were suspended by their NHL teams (Formenton was playing in Switzerland), they were acquitted last summer.
The NHL has stated, “The conduct in question falls well short of the standards and values expected and required by the league and its member clubs.”
Previously a Philadelphia Flyer, Hart joined Vegas midseason and has been a constant presence during the playoffs.
Despite the challenges, opposing fans have leveraged this situation to their advantage. Hart commented on the loud atmosphere: “It’s just the noise. I mean, the atmosphere and the building is really loud and it’s a lot of fun to play there. Yes, it’s just a noise.”
In what was a critical moment for the Hurricanes, Seth Jarvis scored the game-winner in overtime, turning a 2-0 deficit into a potential series closeness.
Interestingly, Hart has made history as the first goaltender to allow four or more goals in each of the first four games of a Cup Final, matching that number in Game 5 as well.
It’s quite a rarity to see a goalie stay in action after conceding so many goals, yet this series seems anything but typical. The Hurricanes had their own struggles, switching from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi, allowing three goals in Game 4 and two in Game 5.
While Hart won’t have to deal with the chants at home, he continues to face difficulties in net. If Las Vegas hopes to reach a Game 7, they will need to tighten their defensive play significantly.
