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Golden Knights’ X-factor in West Final vs. Avalanche
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- Golden Knights’ X-factor in West Final vs. Avalanche
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The Vegas Golden Knights were struggling to get a save from their goaltenders ever since Adin Hill led them to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in the 2023 playoffs. It didn’t pay immediate dividends, but they are happy with the risk of signing Carter Hart now , as he backstops the Golden Knights into the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche .
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It was a controversial decision given Hart’s history, but Vegas took a chance that he could get past the one-year layoff and off-ice legal issues to return to the form that made him one of the league’s top young goaltenders. He was a bit rusty at the beginning of his Golden Knights tenure, but he is looking like the Hart of old during the playoffs.
The turning point in the goaltender’s game came when the Golden Knights hired John Tortorella as their interim head coach. The pair were going to bring success back to Philadelphia when they were both with the Flyers. However, Hart’s suspension started a rough stretch for the organization, which ultimately led to Tortorella’s firing.
The head coach didn’t hold any animosity toward Hart for how things played out in Philadelphia, and it didn’t take long to make him his starting goaltender once again. That decision, seen as a risk at the time, is playing out significantly better than even Tortorella may have imagined.
Avalanche will be Golden Knights and Carter Hart ’s toughest test yet
The Golden Knights didn’t walk over poor offensive teams on their way to the Western Conference Final. You could argue that those teams played softer defense than some playoff teams would, but even if Vegas hadn’t found its offensive swagger, Hart was there to backstop them.
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Hart has a 2.37 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage during the postseason. There were some leaky goals at times in the first round against the Utah Mammoth , but he hit his stride against the Anaheim Ducks over the past five games, allowing just 11 goals with a .927 save percentage.
Hart has a long way to go on his mission to prove to everyone that his off-ice issues in the past are behind him and not indicative of his character. Some may never give him the satisfaction of letting him get away with some of the allegations put forth against him.
However, if we look purely at his on-ice success, the old Hart looks like he may be back, and beating the league’s top offensive team will fall squarely on his shoulders.
Related: Golden Knights captain Mark Stone takes next step in injury recovery, but he won’t play in Game 1
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