After finally fulfilling his dream of playing in the NHL, Carter Hart is cool as a cucumber and confident as he starts again and again for the Flyers. There will be some bumps in the road, followed by highs. It’s the nature of the business, and Hart is fighting through his first “Speed” bump right now.
Hart got off to a great start through his first three games of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, and the Vancouver Canucks. Multiple players have said, to include Sean Couturier following the Devils game, “Hart stands on his head for us. Hartsy’s making some big saves. He bailed us out a few times. That always helps.” These are some comments that give a Goaltender confidence, and makes them want to perform better.
However, Hart just hasn’t been himself these past three games. He now owns a 2-3-1 record, combined with a 3.32 GAA, and a .862 Save Percentage. Not Carter Hart like numbers by any means, but MARK MY WORDS he will rebound. The majority of his problem at the moment appears to be angle related, and becoming bigger in the net. It’s not major issues or flaws in his game, it can be corrected with working with Goalie Coach Kim Dillabaugh.
This young man has electrified the fan base, and has cemented himself as the guy between the pipes for the orange and black for years to come. Yes, Hart needed a breather against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Chicago Blackhawks to recharge his battery. Elliott filled in admirably like a backup Goaltender should do, and played well. Let’s make no mistake about it, this is Hart’s net this year. There is no Goalie controversy in Philadelphia, Hart is the future of this team.
Every young player will have their ups and downs. It’s just the way sports is. Every sports player at some point throughout their career has encountered a down, and yes even Carey Price fought through some downs in his rookie campaign. Hart wasn’t the sharpest in the last three games, but he was really good in his first three games. It’s a fact, Hart will have some bumps in the road, but that doesn’t mean people should give up on him.
Finally, just finally the Flyers have a goalie they can trust in tough situations. Finally, the fans know who is starting night in and night out primarily. Finally, do not give up or stop believing in Hart.
Flyers Point Leaders:
Konecny- 13
Voracek- 9
Lindblom- 7
Provorov- 7
Giroux- 7
Hayes- 7
JVR- 6
Couturier- 5
Niskanen- 5
Raffl- 5
Sanheim- 4
Laughton- 3
Braun- 3
Ghost- 3
Photo Credit: Zack Hill
Excellent observation, as usual. He’s going to overcome this. He had a similar rough patch during his AHL rookie season, I am not concerned.
J.J
Thanks a lot for the support. I agree with you 100%. This is just a “Speed” bump. He will rebound in a big way