Carter Hart stands tall as Flyers beat Penguins again
The Flyers goalie shook off two quick goals in the first period by shutting down Pittsburgh the rest of the night.
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The Flyers picked up four points in their two-game sweep of the Penguins, and three of them probably have Carter Hart’s name on them.
“The scary thing is that he can be better,” teammate Jake Voracek said after Friday’s 5-2 win. “I think everybody on our team can be better.”
In the six periods played between the two teams Wednesday and Friday, Pittsburgh had the better of play in four. But the Flyers had the best player on the ice in Hart, who made 31 saves for the second consecutive game.
Like his teammates, Hart wasn’t perfect. The Penguins scored two goals in 32 seconds in a first period that had a beer-league feel. The Flyers led, 3-2, after the first period but chased the game in the second and early in the third. After that second Penguins goal, Hart turned away the Penguins’ final 24 shots.
“You’re playing against a team that’s got a lot of experience, a lot of star players. That’s a team that has a lot of pride,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. “We knew they were going to come out feisty. ... Carter made some great saves, and we were able to capitalize on some of our looks by doing the right things by going to the net, stopping in front.”
Losing Sean Couturier in the first two minutes caused a ripple effect throughout the Flyers lineup. Couturier does everything for the club except wipe off fogged-up visors, and stop pucks.
Claude Giroux moved up to center. Oskar Lindblom saw some time on the power play. And just about everybody helped kill penalties. The Penguins had 7 minutes, 31 seconds with a man advantage, scoring once in five attempts.
“We found a way to win,” Voracek said. “The positive is that we got four points out of it. It’s always hard to beat a team back-to-back. ... I think they were the better team, to be honest. Carter was good back in the net, made huge stops, and [our depth] makes a difference.”
Not only did the Flyers get four points, but they got them in regulation. Now it’s on to the Buffalo Sabres, who will visit on Monday and Tuesday. Hart, it would figure, would split the work with Brian Elliott getting one of the games.
“Every game is a divisional game, so it may be magnified a little bit more,” Hart said. “We’ve got to put this behind us and prepare for Monday.”