Golden Knights get huge Carter Hart update after win vs. Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights grabbed a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Final with a 4-2 road win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, behind Carter Hart, who stopped 36 of 38 shots at Ball Arena.

Hart reportedly dealt with minor cramping late in the game, though the issue is not considered serious. The 27-year-old is expected to start Game 2 on Friday, with the cramping attributed to warmer-than-usual conditions at ice level rather than any injury.

Hart continued his outstanding postseason form by improving to 9-4 in the playoffs. He has now allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his 13 playoff appearances with a .920 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average during Vegas’ Stanley Cup run.

The veteran netminder kept Colorado scoreless through two periods and made 10 saves in the opening frame alone. The Avalanche finally broke through in the third period when Valeri Nichushkin scored at 5:53 to cut the Golden Knights lead to 3-1. Later, Gabriel Landeskog added a power-play goal during a 6-on-4 advantage with 2:21 remaining, but Hart and Vegas held on.

The Golden Knights received scoring contributions throughout the lineup. Dylan Coghlan opened the scoring with his first career postseason goal in the second period, his first NHL goal since Dec. 17, 2021. Pavel Dorofeyev followed with his league-leading 10th playoff goal on the power play, extending his goal streak to four games with six goals during that span. Brett Howden made it 3-0 early in the third period and stretched his road goal streak to six playoff games, becoming just the sixth player in NHL history to accomplish that feat. Nic Dowd secured the victory with an empty-net goal.

Vegas also played without captain Mark Stone for a fourth consecutive game because of a lower-body injury, while Colorado missed defenseman Cale Makar due to an undisclosed injury.

Hart has quietly turned his season around since joining the Golden Knights in December following his acquittal in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case. Since returning to the NHL, he’s become an important part of the team’s push toward another Stanley Cup.

The post Golden Knights get huge Carter Hart update after win vs. Avalanche appeared first on ClutchPoints.