Carter Hart Steals the Show in Philadelphia Flyers Win over Chicago

The Philadelphia Flyers faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks hoping to earn their 36th victory of the 2018-19 season.

Coming off a loss in their last contest, the Philadelphia Flyers looked to turn the tides and avoid a two game losing streak taking on the Chicago Blackhawks on the road.

Carter Hart received the start in-net and opposed Corey Crawford for the Blackhawks. Crawford had a 3.06 Goals-Against Average with a .907 save percentage entering the contest. The Flyers needed to bring their best game offensively especially going against one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL.

Chicago and Philadelphia began the game trading scoring chances, with play on the ice seeming rather open instead of tightly checked matchup. The Flyers would go on to receive a power-play later in the period, but couldn’t find themselves a goal as the Hawks killed it off. Those penalty killing efforts would be rewarded later on, as Erik Gustafsson scored his 15th of the year to put his team up 1-0. Hart could only do so much to bail out the Flyers defense and shouldn’t assume blame for the tally. Corban Knight, yes Corban Knight, netted his first goal of the season and tied the game up for the Flyers heading into the second.

It was an impressive duel between both Hart and Crawford during the middle frame. Defense was seemingly an option for any skater on the ice, with each goaltender facing shot-after-shot during the second showing. Hart did face more shots-on-goal, though, and single handedly kept the Flyers alive with 15 saves in the period to ensure everything stayed even at 1-1.

Philadelphia and Chicago registered just four goals between them through nine minutes of the third, changing the pace of play from the first two periods. The lack of shots didn’t seem to affect James van Riemsdyk, who put the Flyers ahead halfway through the period with his 26th tally of the year. JvR put a back handed shot on-net through traffic, providing Crawford with nearly no chance to make the save. This eventually shifted momentum for the Flyers as they defeat the Blackhawks 3-1 thanks to an empty-netter from Sean Couturier.

This wasn’t a convincing win for the Flyers by any means, but they’ll take any victory they can get at this stage in the season. Hart once again stole the show, making 40 saves on 41 shots. It was impressive to see the 20 year-old go save-for-save with a guy like Crawford through the contest and Philadelphia definitely wouldn’t have won this game without his presence in their crease, either. I’ve got to say it still feels weird to have a goaltender who can consistently steal wins, but I’m enjoying every part of it and can’t wait to watch Hart develop further.

The Flyers are now 36-30-8 on the year. Next game is Saturday against the New York Islanders.