Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) defends against Carolina Hurricanes near helping Taylor Hall (71) during the archetypal play successful Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final bid astatine T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, June 9, 2026, successful Las Vegas. Photo by: Steve Marcus
By Mark Anderson, Associated Press
Sunday, June 14, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Golden Knights manager John Tortorella is sticking with Carter Hart against the Hurricanes adjacent though helium is the archetypal goalie to springiness up 4 goals successful each of the archetypal 5 games of a Stanley Cup Final.
The teams conscionable successful Game 6 connected Sunday, and the Stanley Cup volition beryllium successful T-Mobile Arena with Carolina up 3-2 and having a accidental to adjacent retired the best-of-seven bid implicit Vegas.
Tortorella, who antecedently coached Hart successful Philadelphia, has been possibly his staunchest defender.
“Because I cognize him,” Tortorella said Saturday. “I cognize there's a amended crippled successful him. I've seen it passim the playoffs. Yeah, I deliberation he's a precise bully goalie. We've got to bash a amended occupation astir him, too. You tin look astatine the numbers, and you guys (media), that's what you do. You spit retired those numbers, but I've got to look astatine things otherwise and ticker the play going connected astir him and what benignant of goals are being scored.”
Vegas' defence has not been crisp successful this series, and Hart has been faced with a fig of hard shots. Carolina's Jordan Staal has exploited being capable to presumption himself successful beforehand of the crease, scoring astatine slightest 1 extremity successful each game.
Hart, however, is simply a large crushed the Golden Knights are adjacent successful this series.
He went 12-4 implicit the archetypal 3 rounds, allowing 2.22 goals per crippled with a .924 prevention percentage. Against the Hurricanes, the GAA is 3.70 and the prevention percent is .856.
“I haven't been astatine my champion this series,” Hart said. “I'll beryllium amended adjacent crippled and acceptable to go.”
Hart was made disposable to the media Saturday for conscionable the 2nd clip this series. He besides took portion successful the NHL-mandated media time earlier the last began. Even then, helium didn't enactment for the afloat 15-minute league aft reportedly being asked a question astir his instrumentality to play aft and helium 4 different players from the 2018 Canada satellite inferior were acquitted past July of intersexual assault.
The NHL ruled those players were eligible to motion deals opening Oct. 15 and to play starting Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 cardinal contract with the Golden Knights, who person constricted his media availabilities.
Being backmost successful the league made Hart a polarizing figure, and successful Carolina, helium has been met with “no means no” chants from the crowd.
“It's conscionable noise,” Hart said. “Both atmospheres successful some buildings person been truly large and conscionable a batch of amusive to play in.”
Golden Knights fans person mostly embraced Hart, and the roars for him during pregame introductions lone grew arsenic Vegas precocious done the postseason.
The assemblage besides was down Adin Hill during the 2023 Cup tally that resulted successful a championship. But present Hill has spent the past 2 months arsenic a spectator portion Hart mans the crease.
Tortorella was asked after Thursday's 4-2 nonaccomplishment astatine Carolina about the anticipation to putting Hill successful that game.
“That could beryllium the stupidest question I’ve heard,” Tortorella snapped.
It's a question, however, that isn't going away.
One of 2 things tin alteration that.
The Hurricanes could wrapper up the bid Sunday, putting the question much connected hold. Attention astatine Vegas would rapidly displacement to the offseason and whether to bring backmost Tortorella. He replaced Bruce Cassidy with 8 games near successful the regular play without the committedness of thing beyond the playoffs.
The different is Hart regains his earlier signifier successful the playoffs and is simply a cardinal crushed determination volition beryllium a Game 7.
It's hard to disregard the opposition successful situations. One of the series' turning points occurred erstwhile Hurricanes manager Rod Brind'Amour changed goalies while down 4-0 entering the 3rd play of Game 3, and Brandon Bussi hasn't near the nett yet arsenic Carolina forced overtime that nighttime successful an eventual nonaccomplishment and past won Games 4 and 5.
“They've gotten immoderate fortunate bounces, and there's a fewer plays that I've got to marque immoderate much saves,” Hart said. “I've conscionable got to hole the aforesaid mode arsenic immoderate different game, and I'll beryllium acceptable to go.”
English (US)·