- Carter Hart gets the net for Vegas in Game 1 against Utah on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena
- He closed the year 6-0-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .930 save percentage since his April 2 return
- Read below for the three-goalie picture behind Hart and his first playoff appearance in six years
Carter Hart is getting the call.
The Vegas Golden Knights will hand Hart the crease for Game 1 of the first round against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drops at 7 p.m. PT.
Hart returned April 2 after missing nearly three months with a lower-body injury. Since then he has been untouchable, winning all six of his starts down the stretch with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
The hot streak lined up with John Tortorella taking over as head coach on March 29, replacing Bruce Cassidy.
Vegas closed the season on a 10-game point streak (7-0-3) and allowed the fewest goals (15) of any team in the league during that stretch. The push sealed a fifth Pacific Division title in nine seasons.
Hart’s play also cleared up a crowded goalie picture. Adin Hill, who backstopped Vegas to the 2023 Stanley Cup, is expected to watch from the bench. Akira Schmid rounds out the group.
Tortorella coached Hart for two seasons in Philadelphia from 2022-24, and that trust carried over. Hart’s 30-save overtime win against Colorado on April 11 locked up the job. Watch the video below for the full highlights from that night.
Sunday marks Hart’s first playoff appearance in six years. His last postseason run came with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 bubble, where he went 9-5-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .926 save percentage.
His Vegas chapter began with a two-year deal last summer and a storybook shootout win in his team debut back in December.
Across the crease, Hart draws Karel Vejmelka, who led all NHL goalies in appearances this season and finished second in wins with 38. Vejmelka makes his own playoff debut for the Mammoth, who qualified for the postseason for the first time since the franchise relocated from Arizona.
The Knights locked their berth earlier this month on Jack Eichel’s overtime winner.
