LAS VEGAS — All eyes in the hockey world are on the guy in the gold sweater with No. 79 emblazoned on his jersey.
Yes, Carter Hart returned to the NHL on Tuesday night after nearly two years away while dealing with legal issues surrounding a sexual assault case while representing Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championship. The Golden Knights will pay him $4 million to sign him this year and next season.
How did he do? Coach Bruce Cassidy said it best Monday, saying the 27-year-old still has a lot of rust to work off. He looked like a goaltender in need of improvement as he was sharp with some pucks and inconsistent with others, allowing three goals on 30 shots, but had a solid performance in overtime with six saves and a shootout as the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 at T-Mobile Arena.
Shea Theodore’s goal in the fourth round of the shootout proved to be the game-winner when he made his favorite move – a forehand dirk and a backhand shot past Spencer Knight and into the net.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Hart said of returning to the NHL. “I think it hit me during the national anthem.”
Hart then became emotional, holding back tears as he continued to think.
“It was really hard coming back,” he said. “I couldn’t do this without my family and friends. I’m excited to be able to play this game again.”
After the game, huge cheers erupted in the Vegas locker room, both to celebrate Hart’s triumphant return and to win the game in 60 minutes for the first time since October 9. Vegas has lost eight straight games in overtime and/or shootouts.
“He’s outstanding,” Cassidy said of Hart, whose last NHL victory came on Jan. 15, 2024, in a 4-2 win over the Blues in St. Louis. “We gave up 2-on-1 early and it was a tough start. I thought as the game went on he got cleaner. When it became 3-2, he gave us some energy and allowed us to equalize.
“In overtime, he made some big saves. So did their player (Knight). I’m sure he was happy to get back out there and it was probably emotional for him, the first time in a while. I think the players were happy for him for obvious reasons.
“It’s great to see us get the win in overtime. It means a lot to the other teams in the group.”
When Hart was introduced to the other VGK starters, he received some muted reactions. If you were looking for any sign of protest, you wouldn’t find any among the 17,944 onlookers.
Frustrated? Oh yeah, there was a lot of that, especially when Hart’s failed clearance ended up hitting the body of Tyler Bertuzzi, who knocked the puck into an empty net to give Chicago a 2-1 lead in the second period.
The first goal he gave up came on the Blackhawks’ second shot when Oliver Moore hit him high to the blocker’s side, just after Ivan Barbashev gave Vegas an early 1-0 lead 27 seconds later after his pass went past Knight on Wyatt Kizer’s slide.
It’s a strange night. The hockey gods weren’t going to let this be a normal game. Ben Hutton’s equalizing goal was set up by Matthew Grzelcyk’s slide past Knight to tie the game at 2-2. Hart was tripped earlier in the quarter, tripping Ilya Mikheyev while trying to score, sending him flying into the air.
Perhaps the only normal moment came in the third period when Connor Bedard sped into the Vegas zone, eluded Shai Theodore and put the puck over Hart’s shoulder for what everyone thought would be the game-winner. But Braeden Bowman tied the game with a rebound of his own with 2:28 left.
Then overtime came and Hart rolled back the clock to his prime as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. He shut down Ryan Green’s defense in one-on-one situations. He stopped Moore at close range. He saved Bedard. As overtime was winding down, he stopped Ryan Donato to send the game to penalties.
Knight also turned up the volume at the other end, denying Mark Stone and then stopping Noah Hanifin’s two-on-one with Jack Eichel.
“I think I got better and better as the game went on,” Hart said. “I haven’t played an NHL game in a long time. Like I said, it’s a process and I hope to get better and better.”
Cassidy said it’s about Hart moving forward. He will get his chance during an upcoming five-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Friday in Newark. Additionally, the Dec. 11 game against the Flyers in Philadelphia will be nationally televised on ESPN.
“He put in a lot of hard work for us and Henderson (AHL),” Cassidy said. “There’s going to be some ups and downs. Tonight was an up. But there’s probably going to be some downs. When that happens, he’s just got to get over it.
“Whether it’s Friday or Sunday (against the New York Rangers), he’s going to come back and be ready for that game, learn from it and get to know our team better.
“Once he’s a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, he’s a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. We welcome him with open arms and he’s a great teammate and helps us win games and get his career back on track. We’re not going back. We’re going to move forward.”
