Another Carter Hart gem gets Golden Knights back into Stanley Cup Final

Avalanche center Brock Nelson found himself alone in the offensive zone and unleashed a wrister towards the net early in his team’s Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Golden Knights Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Perfectly positioned Vegas goalie Carter Hart never flinched, gloving the high-danger chance to an ovation from the 18,188 in attendance.

“Their team made it super difficult to get quality looks and, when we did, (Hart) made the saves,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said afterwards.

Hart pulled off something the rest of the NHL couldn’t all season and halted the Avalanche over the past eight days.

Another outstanding performance in the crease from Hart delivered the Golden Knights to their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years Tuesday as they finished off a sweep of the Avalanche with a 2-1 victory.

Vegas will play the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens Eastern Conference Final in a best-of-seven series for the championship starting June 3 on the road. Carolina holds a 2-1 series lead going into tomorrow night’s Game 4 in Montreal.

“I’m just super excited to share this moment with this group of guys,” Hart deflected praise directed his way. “We have such a tight group here, and I’m just so happy. We’re all just super excited and put in a lot of work and a lot of effort.”

Vegas’ latest march to the Stanley Cup Final might not go down as improbable as their maiden voyage during their expansion season, but it shares some commonality.

Much like that first year, there was a moment where few if any believed this deep of a playoff run was possible.

It was just midseason this time around instead of the preseason back during the 2017-2018 campaign.

Vegas had the most losses in franchise history this year — 43 when including 17 overtime defeats to go with 26 regulation setbacks — but has now won six straight games in the playoffs.

The Golden Knights finish off the Western Conference playoffs overall having gone 12-4.

Fans groaned all year that the Golden Knights had high upside if they could only find steadier play in net. Hart has given them steadier play in net, with a .924 save percentage and 2.30 goals against average in the playoffs.

Going into the Western Conference Final, it seemed unlikely anyone could catch Mitch Marner – who leads the NHL postseason with 21 points — as Vegas’ primary Conn Smythe Trophy candidate as the Stanley Cup Playoffs' most valuable player.

But now Hart has a strong argument as the key cog in shutting down what had been a historically dominant Colorado attack in the regular season.

“This was our best 60-minute effort tonight for sure,” Hart said. “The hardest game to win in the series is always the last one to close it out.”

The Avalanche were the best team the Golden Knights have ever faced in the playoffs both record-wise and analytically, but they couldn’t crack Hart enough to win a single game.

It’s only the second sweep in Golden Knights’ franchise history, joining their first-round ouster of the Los Angeles Kings in the aforementioned 2017-2018 season.

It wasn’t all Hart in the clincher, of course. Vegas’ defense solidified into impenetrable over the final two periods for the second game in a row.

“We checked our (butts) off,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “That’s what stands out to me, and that’s how you win in this league.”

Colorado went nearly 12 minutes without a shot on goal in the second period. In the third period, the Avalanche couldn’t muster anything dangerous until they pulled goalie Mackenzie Blackwood late.

That did help result in a deflected goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog with two minutes to play, but the Golden Knights didn’t allow much else the rest of the way.

Vegas captain Mark Stone had one of the final blocked shots, and would have been the standout of the night if not for Hart.

He scored less than five minutes into the game on a breakaway set up by a pass from defenseman Brayden McNabb and seemed to make a play on every shift he took. 

Stone has shown no ill effects from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for five straight contests before Game 3.

“I like to think I’m pretty smart out there,” Stone said. “I see my opportunities and, when I have an opportunity, I get a little bit in there to go. (The goal) was an opportunity to do it.”

Blackwood, making his first start of the series in place of the benched Scott Wedgewood, mostly matched Hart for the rest of the game — finishing with 24 saves to the latter’s 20 stops.

But the Golden Knights finally broke Blackwood down in the 14^th minute of the third period. Depth defenseman Dylan Coghlan got a primary assist for the second straight game, throwing a shot on net that Cole Smith knocked past Blackwood.

Smith appeared to injure his arm late in Game 3 but fought through any pain to make a difference with a Stanley Cup berth on the line.

“Your stars are going to be your stars but to keep advancing and get to the situation we’re at now, get to the fourth round, playing for the Cup, those other pieces have to come through,” Tortorella said. “And they have.”

Smith is one of several Golden Knights who suited up Tuesday that will be making their first Stanley Cup Final appearance with the team including a slew who just arrived in Vegas this season. 

“We’ve brought some new guys in this year — their first year whether it was before the season or at the deadline — and they’ve made a huge impact on our team,” Vegas forward Jack Eichel said.

Hart and Marner headline the first-timers list this year along with longtime coach John Tortorella, who will be looking for his second Stanley Cup after winning with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.

Tortorella found Hart on the ice as the Golden Knights were presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for winning the Western Conference postgame on Tuesday. The two, who have been together dating back to their days in Philadelphia earlier this decade, shared an embrace and some words.

The crowd erupted when the screens in the arena caught part of the moment.

“It obviously means a lot,” Hart said. “We have a great relationship. I loved playing with him in Philly, and I’m super happy he’s here.”

A goaltender playing at the level of Hart was exactly what Vegas was missing most of the season. If he can maintain what he did against the Avalanche, the Golden Knights will be tough to stop from winning a second Stanley Cup in four years.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity, thrilled to be along for the ride with them,” Tortorella said.