{"id":539407,"date":"2026-04-04T00:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539407\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T00:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:13:14","slug":"golden-knights-face-goalie-conundrum-with-harts-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539407\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Knights Face Goalie Conundrum with Hart’s Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"AThe Golden Knights’ crowded crease creates a complex puzzle for coach Tortorella to solve as the playoffs approach.Las Vegas Today<\/p>\n

The Vegas Golden Knights have a crowded crease with the return of goaltender Carter Hart, who made his first start in nearly three months on Thursday. Coach John Tortorella says he has no set plan on how to manage the three-goalie situation, leaving it to be decided game-by-game as the Knights battle for playoff positioning.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights’ goaltending situation has been a point of emphasis all season, with Adin Hill, Akira Schmid, and now Carter Hart all vying for the starting role. Tortorella’s open-ended approach could create uncertainty, but also allows him flexibility to ride the hot hand down the stretch.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Hart made 19 saves in his return, allowing 3 goals on 22 shots in the Knights’ 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames. While a bit rusty, Hart showed flashes of the talent that made him a prized offseason acquisition. Hill has been the de facto No. 1 lately, but Schmid has also impressed with his reliability. Tortorella says he will take the goalie situation game-by-game, rather than committing to a set rotation.<\/p>\n

Carter Hart returned to the lineup on Thursday, April 2, 2026 after missing nearly 3 months with a lower-body injury.The Golden Knights face a pivotal matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, April 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Carter Hart<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old goaltender joined the Golden Knights in the offseason and is now healthy after missing significant time due to injury.<\/p>\n

Adin Hill<\/p>\n

The veteran goaltender has been the primary starter for the Golden Knights this season, but now faces increased competition with Hart’s return.<\/p>\n

Akira Schmid<\/p>\n

The young goaltender has provided reliable backup play for the Golden Knights, adding to the team’s depth at the position.<\/p>\n

John Tortorella<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights’ head coach says he has no set plan for managing the three-goalie situation, instead taking it game-by-game.<\/p>\n

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\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no plan on how to attack it. I plan on who the goalie is going to be the next game. That’s as far as I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 John Tortorella, Head Coach, Golden Knights<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt good to get back in there. Huge two points for us, and we played a good game and had a great third period.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Carter Hart, Goaltender, Golden Knights<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights’ goaltending situation will become clearer after their pivotal matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Adin Hill is expected to get the start in that game, but Tortorella could opt to give Hart another chance to prove himself.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights’ three-goalie dilemma is a unique challenge, but Tortorella’s open-ended approach allows him flexibility to ride the hot hand down the stretch as the team battles for playoff positioning. How the rotation shakes out could be a key factor in the Knights’ postseason push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Golden Knights’ crowded crease creates a complex puzzle for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5129],"tags":[149,5317,5,4,74,39,5316],"class_list":{"0":"post-539407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vegas-golden-knights","8":"tag-golden-knights","9":"tag-goldenknights","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-vegas","13":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","14":"tag-vegasgoldenknights"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116343551997975377","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}