Golden Knights stick with Hart with season on line

John Tortorella said there will be no change in net for Game 6, sticking with Carter Hart as the Golden Knights face elimination pressure. Hart’s numbers in the Stanley Cup final—4 goals allowed in his last five games, plus a 3.70 GAA and .856 save percentage—

LAS VEGAS — Carter Hart will be back in goal Sunday, and Vegas isn’t hiding from what it means: a win is required to keep Carolina from hoisting the Stanley Cup.

John Tortorella didn’t spend Saturday explaining his choice. “Because I know him,” the coach said.

Hart enters the deciding moment after a stretch that has sharpened criticism. In the Stanley Cup final. he has allowed four goals in all five games. and Tortorella pointed to the possibility that the bigger. steadier version of Hart is still there. “I know there’s a better game in him,” he said. “I’ve seen it throughout the playoffs. I think he’s a very good goalie.”.

Tortorella believes the team has to adjust around him as much as anything. “We’ve got to do a better job around him, too,” he said. “You can look at the numbers — that’s what you guys do. you spit out those numbers. but I’ve got to look at things differently and watch the play around him and the type of goals being scored.”.

Right on cue, the numbers are tough. In the final, Hart’s goals-against average sits at 3.70 and his save percentage is .856.

The alternative, Adin Hill, isn’t simply a backup decision—it’s an entirely different situation. Hill hasn’t played in months because his regular season was a nightmare. He finished with a 10-9-6 record, a 3.04 GAA and an .871 save percentage.

When asked whether Hill might have been an option late in Vegas’ Game 5 loss, Tortorella’s answer was blunt. He called it the “stupidest question” he’s heard.

Tortorella’s stance doesn’t change. “Pretty self-explanatory from the other night,” he said of his goalie plan after Game 5.

Even Hart’s preparation didn’t suggest any shift. He practiced separately from the team on Saturday, but he described it as simply keeping his routine consistent. “I’ve got a pretty regimented routine, just taking care of the body and kept it the same,” Hart said. “As a goaltender, you want to play every game and want to be ready to go. I’ve got a routine that I do, and I follow it.”.

The workload is real. Hart has played every game in these playoffs—21 straight—fueling questions about whether fatigue is affecting his form. Hart rejected that idea when speaking with confidence for what comes next. “I feel good,” he said. “I haven’t been my best this series. I’ll be better next game.”.

His teammates are holding the line behind him. Rasmus Andersson said there’s “all the belief in the world” in Hart. pointing to how he carried them through the playoffs. “At this point of the year. or really at any point of the year. just don’t care what the outside says. ” Andersson said. “If you start reading into how much you suck. you can make a mistake. or how good you are if you score a goal. you’re just gonna lose your mind. So it just doesn’t matter what the outside world says, honestly.”.

Andersson framed Sunday as crunch time—Game 6, the series down 3-2, and a path back to Raleigh. “We know what we have in here, and it’s crunch time, it’s Game 6, we’re down, and we’ve got to find a way to win, and take it back to Raleigh,” he said.

Tomas Hertl echoed that confidence while pointing to what Vegas needs to clean up in front of Hart. “We definitely have a lot of confidence,” Hertl said. “He’s played some really good hockey for us. We have to play a little better in front of him. We have to be a little stronger in the blue paint. They’re getting rebounds, screens, so we have to do a better job of that.”.

That pressure only increased Saturday. because Tortorella also confirmed a major lineup blow from Game 6 onward: second line centre William Karlsson won’t be available. The injury removes one of Vegas’ most trusted two-way forwards—someone capable of matching up against top competition while still driving what has been the club’s most potent line.

With Karlsson out, the reshuffling comes down the middle at the worst possible time. Hertl and Mitch Marner are likely to play significant time at centre, as they’ve done many times before.

For Hertl, it’s not a new adjustment. “For me, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “The last five years I’ve mostly played centre. Even when I play wing, I still take face-offs, so I kind of play both, so it’s not a big change for me. I think I can do both.”

Marner’s motivation was just as clear as his versatility. “He’s competitive, he wants to be in these types of games, and he plays for these types of games, so it’s a big reason why we want to go out and do our thing tomorrow,” Marner said.

Vegas also has a note on another possible return. Brandon Saad could come back to the lineup after seven games as a healthy scratch.

The stakes in Vegas are stark. Carolina hasn’t lost consecutive games since January. Vegas, down 3-2 in the series, needs to beat the Hurricanes twice—first Sunday, then again—to survive and swing momentum.

Hertl said we’re not talking about the bigger picture yet. “We don’t even think about it,” he said. “We have to focus on just the game tomorrow. We have to win it. We know we’re strong, we know we can do it, and we will do it. Tomorrow needs to be our best game.”

He also expects the building to matter. With the Stanley Cup on the line, Hertl believes the atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena can help prevent the trophy from being presented post-game.

Vegas is sticking with Hart. Now the rest of the roster has to make sure Tortorella’s faith isn’t misplaced.

Golden Knights Carter Hart John Tortorella Adin Hill William Karlsson Mitch Marner Tomas Hertl Rasmus Andersson Stanley Cup final Game 6 Carolina Hurricanes T-Mobile Arena Brandon Saad