Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart is set to become the face of the franchise

First taste of postseason action.

At the stoppage of the 2019-2020 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hart had led the Flyers to fourth in the Eastern Conference, and had them appearing like a legit Stanley Cup contender. Once play resumed inside the NHL’s return to play bubble, he propelled them to the top seed in the entire Eastern Conference. This of course set Carter Hart up with an iconic match-up between the pipes for the first round. He was set to face off with his childhood idol, Montreal Canadians longtime goaltender Carey Price.

The young goaltender did not disappoint in his first taste of playoff hockey, as he carried the orange and black to a series win, out dueling his idol in six games. Thus, leading Philadelphia to their first playoff series win in nearly a decade.

In round 2 against the New York Islanders, number 79 did all he could, and took the Flyers as far as he could. With the goal scoring for the orange and black virtually non existent, Hart was able to carry the Flyers to Game 7, the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals. His shining moment in the postseason could be argued was his back to back shutouts in the first round series with the Canadians.

However, I pinpoint it as his heroic performance in Game 6 of the second round match-up with the Islanders, where Hart made 49 saves, leading the Flyers to an unforgettable 5-4 double overtime win, forcing a Game 7. That Game 6 was an instant Philadelphia sports classic, and one we will be talking about for a long time in the Delaware Valley.

As we get set to enter year 3 of Carter Hart manning the crease for the Philadelphia Flyers, naturally expectations are set to go even higher. Fresh off their furthest playoff push since the team made the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring of 2010 (in terms of playoff wins), the vibe around Philadelphia is this team is set to make a serious push at the Stanley Cup.

With longtime captain Claude Giroux clearly entering the twilight of his career, you have to think that some point soon (if it hasn’t happened already,) the torch will be passed in terms of who the face of the Philadelphia Flyers is. At just 22 years old, and a bevy of success at the NHL level already, there is no better man for that distinction than number 79 Carter Hart. With him between the pipes for the orange and black, we may be entering the next great era of Philadelphia Flyers hockey.