Carter Hart Stops 36 in Vegas' 4-2 Win Over Avalanche — Nhl.com
nhl.com Carter Hart stopped 36 of 38 shots and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Wednesday night in Denver. The road win gave Vegas the opener in the best-of-seven series and put it in front of the top-seeded Avalanche.
Hart Holds Colorado To Two
Hart faced 38 shots and allowed only two, including a between-the-legs goal by Valeri Nichushkin and a late goal by Gabe Landeskog. Colorado had pulled Scott Wedgewood on a power play for a two-man advantage before Landeskog scored, but Vegas still finished with the result that changed the series ledger after one game.
He was sharp early, making 10 stops in the scoreless first period. The Golden Knights needed that start to settle into a game played against a team that had already been compared with the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild, who went a combined 1-8 against Colorado in prior rounds.
Tortorella Backs Hart
John Tortorella did not hold back after the win. He called Hart “a hell of a goalie,” said he was “great in Philly for me,” and added, “I think he’s grown so strong mentally.” Tortorella also said, “I don’t think much bothers him. He is just zeroed in.”
Hart’s response matched the numbers. He said, “We know they’re a good team,” and added, “We know they got a lot of skill on their team and we respect that, but you can’t respect them too much.” He also said, “I thought we did a good job of defending and limiting their time in space and I thought we blocked a lot of shots tonight and got in a lot of lanes and tied up some sticks.”
Vegas Gets Its Road Win
The performance fits Hart’s playoff line. He has posted a.920 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average in these playoffs, and he is 9-4. It also sits against a longer arc: he was a 21-year-old starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he went 9-6 with a.926 save percentage and two shutouts.
Hart joined Vegas last December after signing a two-year, $4 million contract and working with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada. He was placed on an indefinite leave of absence from hockey in early 2024 after being charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team, then was acquitted of all charges last year and resumed his career with Vegas. Hart said after agreeing to sign that he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
Now the series turns with Vegas carrying the first-game lead and Hart already having delivered the kind of road start that can set the tone in a short series. His answer against Colorado was simple: 36 saves, two goals allowed, and a 4-2 win that sent the Golden Knights home ahead in the Western Conference Final.
