Carter Hart Continues To Shine As Flyers Earn First Preseason Win

The Philadelphia Flyers played host to the New York Rangers hoping to earn their first win of the 2019-20 preseason.

Hoping to snap a three-game losing skid, the Philadelphia Flyers skated in their final home game of the exhibition season as they took on a Metropolitan Division rival in the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center. Both teams entered the game without a win on the preseason, and each were obviously hoping to turn their tides to get their first victories. Carter Hart received the start in-net and faced off against Igor Shesterkin for the Rangers. Hart saved all 14 shots he saw in his last start against the New York Islanders and did more of the same in the first.

The 21-year-old goaltender made six saves in the first stanza, standing tall against whatever the Rangers threw at him. Hart also played a part in the Flyers killing off two Rangers power-plays in the period, making a big save on a Ranger in front of the crease to keep things even at the time. Hart and the penalty-killing unit’s efforts helped Philadelphia take a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play, as James van Riemsdyk scored on the power-play (yes, the POWER-PLAY) while Kevin Hayes netted his first goal in an Orange and Black uniform just over a minute later. Both goals were obtained by deflections in front of the net.

Hart continued to play well in the second, coming up huge on Filip Chytil shot at net-front to keep Philadelphia’s lead at two. This allowed Carsen Twarynski to extend the Flyers lead later on in the frame, scoring his first tally of the preseason to give his team a 3-0 lead after batting his own rebound out of the air and into the back of the net. Twarynski was one of Philly’s best skaters out on the ice, as he was creating chances (while scoring on some of them) and showcasing a physical element to his game, too.

As J-F Berube came in for him in the third and helped the Flyers get a 4-1 victory, Hart finished the game stopping all 11 shots he faced in two periods of work. The 2016 Second Round Pick has yet to allow a goal through three and a half periods during the preseason, looking calm, cool, and collected in the process. Hopefully, Hart will be able to keep up the great work through the back-end of the preseason and, most importantly, when the regular season comes around.

The Flyers next game is Monday against the Boston Bruins on the road, as they’ll look to go on a two-game win streak.