Photo Credit: Andy Gorel
“Oh man, he was really good for us,” Zack MacEwen said following the game in regards to Carter Hart. “He made some huge stops for us.”
“I believe in myself and I believe that I can be a top goaltender in this league. I’m just going to look forward to a great offseason of training. Get settled back in with my family and friends, and get a good plan going forward for this offseason.”– Carter Hart said at exit interviews
Hart is on fire, and the Flyers are reaping the benefits of such. If it were not for Hart last night, the Flyers undoubtedly wouldn’t have earned two points in the standings. He tends to thrive with the more shots he faces, and Hart backstopped 39 shots on 40 shots faced against the league’s best in the Carolina Hurricanes last night.
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The young 23-year-old netminder is much bigger in the net, which is good to cut down angles, as opposed to last season where he made himself smaller in the net. I would argue that Hart is better than he was in 2019-20 because he is bigger and added muscle “Carter made some big saves when he had to,” Flyers Head Coach Alain Vigneault said following the game, as Vigneault continues to praise his young netminder. “I’m not going to apologize for great goaltending.”
Last night, Hart saved 39 out of 40 shots that came his way, which was good enough for a .975 Save Percentage. It’s about getting into a rhythm for goaltenders in the early going, and Hart certainly has done that compiling a 4-3-2 record, 2.32 GAA, and a .931 Save Percentage in nine games played.
One area of his game that has stood out to me is his positioning. He didn’t appear to be fighting the puck, rather he was seeing it quite well, thus helping his positioning. Hart is much more confident in cutting down angles this year, and he’s moving laterally from post to post rather well.
Another good indicator that Hart is on his game. He likes to snare picks with his glove. Hart made multiple glove saves in the third period against the Hurricanes, and one came in the final seconds of the third period.
Zack MacEwen
MacEwen tallied his first goal as a Flyer lady night. He works hard, and finally was rewarded for it with the orange and black.
