The Vegas Golden Knights are sticking with goaltender Carter Hart for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final as they look to force a Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes back in Raleigh.
And, if that happens, there’s no question that Hart will hear the same chants he has heard this entire series: “No means no.”
Hart was one of five former members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Championship-winning hockey team that was accused of sexual assault stemming from an incident at a London, Ontario, hotel. All five — Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé and Alex Formenton — were suspended from their NHL clubs (except Formenton, who was playing in Switzerland) but were acquitted last summer.
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Still, the NHL released a statement saying that “the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.”
Hart — who previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers — signed with Vegas midseason, and has since played every postseason game.
But, of course, opposing fans have been using what has happened off ice to their advantage.
“It’s just noise. I mean, both atmospheres and both buildings have been really loud and just a lot of fun to play in,” Hart said about the chants on Saturday. “Yeah, just noise.”
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That’s a good way to look at it from a competitor’s perspective, but it might be working.
Hart is only the first goalie in NHL history to give up at least four goals in the first four games of a Cup Final, and then did it again in Game 5.
It’s wild to see a goalie getting scored on like that still in the net, but this series has been so unusual, with Carolina giving up a similarly high number of goals until switching from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi, who gave up three goals in Game 4 and two in Game 5.
It’s wild to see a goalie stay in the net after giving up that many goals, but this series has been anything but normal. Carolina also surrendered a high number of goals before switching from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi, who allowed three goals in Game 4 and two more in Game 5.
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Hart won’t have to deal with the chants at home, but he’s still giving up a lot of goals.
If Vegas wants any hope of forcing Game 7, they’re going to need better play in net.
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