Travis Konecny
Entering the third period on Friday night in Carolina, it was another similar case. Carolina had only one goal. Hart had 27 saves. This time, the Flyers gave him some run support, and Hart did the rest in a dominant performance that continued his hot start to the season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have set the tone for the Metropolitan Division. While every team seems to be hovering around where the Flyers are with a 6-3-2 record and 14 points, the Hurricanes sit at the top of the division with a 10-1-0 record and 20 points. A challenging weekend back-to-back on the road begins for the Flyers in Raleigh.
This game begins a busy remainder of the month for the Flyers. They will play 11 games in the next 21 days, reaching the quarter-mark of the season in the process. It will be no easy task either, as a number of star players and elite teams will appear on the schedule. It starts with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found a groove after a slow start with wins in five of their last six games.
The Flyers close out a quick two-game road trip against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, looking to once again rebound and get back in the win column.
If not for excellent goaltending again, the Flyers would not have been in position to win this game. They would certainly have not gained a point in the standings, which could certainly prove valuable later. Despite that, it is hardly a moral victory for the Flyers. Another sloppy game is showing a troubling trend as a difficult month is just getting started.
Kris Letang scored on a wraparound that required review in overtime, handing the Flyers a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are dealing with various health issues, some injury-related and some COVID-related. Most notably, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be out for Thursday’s game after testing positive for COVID on Wednesday. Crosby had missed the first seven games of the Penguins’ season recovering from offseason wrist surgery and just returned for his first game of the season on Saturday. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh is off to a 3-3-2 start without having Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in the lineup, so this is still no easy task for the Flyers.
The Flyers stayed the course, overcoming a questionable overturned goal call and a tight contest between a team desperate to get their first win. They finally broke through in the third, and their goaltender did the rest.
Carter Hart was once again a key reason the Flyers were in position to win on Tuesday night. Only this time, Hart was on the right end of the result, doing more than just getting the win, but nailing down a 29-save shutout in a 3-0 Flyers win over the Arizona Coyotes.
The Flyers had a successful 2-1-0 road trip, but had their first lackluster game of the season on Saturday in Calgary. They will be looking to bounce back from that result. The Coyotes have struggled to start, still in search of their first win of the season. As such, the Flyers have to avoid a similar game to Saturday and playing down to the opponent.
