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Golden Knights should copy Hurricanes, change goalie after Carter Hart's historically poor performance
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Golden Knights should copy Hurricanes, change goalie after Carter Hart's historically poor performance

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated Jun 10, 2026 7:22 PM ET
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The 2026 Stanley Cup Final has already had one goalie change as the Carolina Hurricanes went to Brandon Bussi in place of Frederik Andersen for Game 4. 

It worked as Bussi helped the Hurricanes even the series at two games apiece with a 5-3 win on Tuesday night.

It's time for the Vegas Golden Knights to consider a similar swap for Game 5 of the series on Thursday night.

Golden Knights should consider goalie swap before Game 5 of series

Carter Hart has been the Vegas starter since the beginning of the playoffs, and through the first three rounds, he had played extremely well in helping the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final.

It was a complete 180 from what he had done during the regular season, and he came into this series as the "hot goalie." 

But things have started to turn back for him against the Hurricanes, and his performance is starting to become a bit of a concern as the series starts to reach crunch time. 

How concerning? Just consider some of the numbers.

  • Hart has already allowed 16 goals through the first four games of the series.
  • That includes allowing four goals in each of the first four games.
  • His save percentage in the series is only .860, significantly below even what he did in the regular season and well below the .896 league average for the season.
  • He has faced 12 expected goals in all situations (via Natural Stat Trick) and allowed 16 actual goals. Being minus-four in goals saved above expected is a problematic performance for a goalie in a series where every game has been within a single goal in the final five minutes of regulation. 

Making a goalie switch in a championship series, especially one that is tied going into Game 5, is not a move that is typically made lightly. But what could make it easier and more sensible for Vegas is the reality that its backup, Adin Hill, not only has championship experience, but actually backstopped the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup just three years ago. The stage is not going to be too big for him. The pressure is not going to be too much.

Hart is not a good enough goalie to have an unquestioned starting spot locked down in this situation. 

Goalie tandems and rotations have become a significant part of the NHL in recent years, and it has especially been the case this season. There is so little gap between the majority of second-tier goalies in the league right now that it should give teams more flexibility and confidence in making a switch.

Sometimes the playoffs do not come down to which goalie is better overall, but which goalie simply gets hot at the right time.

Carolina recognized that Andersen, as great as he played in the first three rounds, was no longer playing at that level and needed a change.

It gave them a spark in a pivotal game.

Vegas should look at its goalie situation and ask if it might be worth trying a similar move.

Allowing four goals in every game is not a sustainable way to win. It might be time for a change. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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