Analysis: Carter Hart looked the part in Golden Knights' debut, for better or worse

One by one, Carter Hart turned away shots from virtually all of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top offensive weapons.

The new Golden Knights’ goalie gloved a rocket from phenom Connor Bedard in the first period of a game against the Blackhawks Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena and kicked away a laser from sidekick Frank Nazar in the third period.

Hart extended the game in overtime with six acrobatic saves including a dangerous chance in the final second from veteran Ryan Donato and then stopped three out of four attempts in a shootout including shots by Teuvo Tervainen and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Hart’s highlight-packed debut helped the Golden Knights to a 4-3 victory where they may have exorcised an overtime demon that had seen them start the season 1-8 in games that went past regulation.

“It could have easily been 4-2 (Chicago leading) if we don’t get a few of those saves,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said afterwards. “It gave us some hope that we could come back.”

This was exactly what many fans — the overwhelming majority of them, in fact, based on the cheers for Hart when he was announced in the starting lineup — wanted out of the 27-year-old former top goalie prospect drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers.   

The Golden Knights’ goaltending situation has been pedestrian at best since the loss of starter Adin Hill to an injury early in the season, and Hart has the pedigree to turn that around.

But a smaller subset of fans, and certainly a much larger one across the NHL as a whole, must have felt significantly more conflicted.

Of all the ruthless, win-at-all-costs personnel moves made by the Golden Knights in the nine-year history of the franchise, signing Hart two months ago stands out as the most controversial.

The two-year, $4 million deal he signed on the first day he was eligible to do so understandably alienated a segment of the fan base and drew ire and confusion from even more outsiders.     

That’s their right given the allegations made against Hart in the Canadian junior hockey sexual assault scandal. Hart spent most of the last two years preparing for and being tried in the case before a judge ultimately found him and four teammates not guilty this summer.

The NHL still admonished the five for their actions and suspended them for the start of the season to extend their NHL ineligibility to more than 22 months.

Hart became the first to return against the Blackhawks, and sure made it look like his comeback won’t be short-lived.

He wasn’t perfect, making a few mistakes and giving up three scores on 30 Chicago shots on goal, but the performance was more than passable.

If that’s what Hart is capable of in his first NHL game since a 7-4 Flyers’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20, 2024, imagine the potential when he fully settles down.

“I got better and better as the game went on,” Hart said afterwards. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played in an NHL game. It’s a process. It’s just going to continue to get better. It’s good to be back.”

Hart got choked up and wiped away tears in front of reporters when asked about taking the ice pregame.

“It didn’t really sink in until the national anthem, I was kind of looking around and just that feeling you’re back playing,” Hart said before pausing to let emotion overtake him. “Sorry, it’s been a really difficult journey to get back. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my family and friends. I’m just so happy to be playing the game.”

It was the type of moment that would be touching for a player who battled back to the ice from a hardship like a serious injury or sickness, but the reason for Hart’s temporary exile shouldn’t be forgotten.

Hart has been a model citizen with Vegas by all accounts and his new teammates seem to have developed a genuine bond with him in a short amount of time.

The Golden Knights had a longer and louder post-game win celebration than normal in their locker room after beating the Blackhawks.

After scoring the game-winning shootout goal following two straight saves by Hart, top defenseman Shea Theodore said the reason for the postgame exuberance would be kept, “in house.” But both Cassidy and team captain Mark Stone were more open about how much it meant to secure the victory for Hart.

Stone said he’s been drawn to how hard Hart has worked since arriving with the franchise, and how he’s usually been the last player off the ice in practice.        

“When your teammate puts in that kind of work, that kind of effort to work his way back, you want to reward him,” Stone said. “He rewarded us. It’s a good win for him and I think he’s going to get more and more comfortable as we go.”

The real question is if the whole situation will get more comfortable. General manager Kelly McCrimmon hasn’t spoken about the Hart signing in a public setting yet, and social media is overrun with protests and taunts towards the team.    

The T-Mobile crowd might be adoring but there will be little to no warmth extended to Hart in other venues around the league. That’s especially true with the story fresh as the Golden Knights head out for a five-game road trip including the next three in the New York metropolitan area followed by a tilt at Hart’s former home in Philadelphia.     

Hart might have the ability to quiet hostile arenas if he keeps showing off the athletic flashes he used to stop pucks against Chicago. Vegas has more commonly relied on bulkier goalies in recent years, but the 6-foot-2, 192-pound Hart’s playing style is more of a reminiscent to original starter Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s still among the most beloved players in franchise history.   

One game in, it looks unlikely that giving Hart a second chance will go down as a failed experiment or an unmitigated mistake from a hockey sense.

Hart has a chance to not only keep the Golden Knights afloat while Hill is out but also supplant the latter as the goalie for the team build around going forward.

That’s the path he’s on after one game, and the Golden Knights are behind him on that quest.

“He’s part of the Golden Knights, he’s a family member,” Cassidy said.  “So that's what was said to him. We welcome with open arms and be a good teammate, help us win games and help you get your career back on track. We’re not going backwards. We’re going forward so to speak.”