With a condensed 56 game season. I figured we could take a look at the Flyers goalies. With Brian Elliott having been with the Flyers for three seasons and averaging a career Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.50 and Save Percentage of .912. Easy to say the veteran can be a safe option to put in the net at any time, in all situations. Moreover, Carter Hart has been in the NHL since the 2018-19 season. I’m going to start with comparing their regular season and playoff stats from the 2018-19 season.
Let’s take a look at Brian Elliott’s 2018-19 and 2019-20 regular season stats:
*Regular season 2018-19:
26 GP, 23 GS, 11 W, 11 L, 1 OT.
69 GA, GAA 2.96 and SV% .90, 1 SO.
*Regular season 2019-20:
31 GP, 27 GS, 16 W, 7 L, 4 OT
80 GA, GAA 2.87, SV% .899, 2 SO
*Playoffs 2019-20
3 GP, 2 GS, 1 W, 1 L, 0 OT
5 GA, GAA 2.15, SV% .911
Carter Hart
Regular season 2018-19:
21 GP, 30 GS, 16 W, 13 L, 1 OT
81 GA, GAA 2.83, SV% .917
*Regular season 2019-20:
43 GP, 40 GS, 24 W, 13 L, 3 OT
95 GA, GAA, 2.42, SV% .914, 1 SO
*Playoffs 2019-20
14 GP. 14 GS, 9 W, 5 L, 0 OT
32 GA, GAA 2.23, SV% .926, 2 SO
It’s clear to say that they each go neck and neck with similar stats. I’m not saying one goalie is better than the other, but if I were Alain Vigneault I would be starting Hart more often this season. Especially in rival games like the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. It’s no secret that the Flyers re-signed Elliott this past October because he is a great backup goaltender and mentor. It has also become apparent that Elliott is also a large part of their leadership group.
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I started writing this piece a week before the season opener, but I paused on publishing it because I wanted to see who would get the first start of the season and what the outcome would be. Now with what I had previously stated, if I were Vigneault I would be starting Hart against rivals such as Pittsburgh and New Jersey. I think it’s pretty obvious the kid will be the starting goalie for the majority of the season. With a GAA of 2.50 and a .925 Save Percentage in two victories against the Penguins. Hart did have some unfortunate mishaps that gained Pittsburgh a few goals on both nights. However, Hart has been rock solid in the early going, and I still think that Hart should be the starter all season. The kid is here to stay and became a goalie of his own.
The Flyers are lucky to have two goalies that can hold their own and evolve as the season goes on. Elliott has played in one game this season to date, and posted a shutout in a 3-0 Flyers victory this past Tuesday night. Time and time again he steps up in a time of need for a club that got blown out the night prior 6-1. This however is Hart’s year to take the reins.
Many players get tagged with a reputation, “franchise player”. Carter Hart/Carson Wentz. I see Elliott as the better goalie & Wentz is a mediocre quarterback.