Entering an opponent’s arena is never an easy task, and the Carolina Hurricanes faithful were up to the task of reminding every Vegas Golden Knight that was introduced at the beginning of the game, exactly what their station was with the home crowd.
Starting with Jack Eichel, the chorus of boos began. Going down the line from Theodore to McNabb to Barbashev to Dorofeyev each name drew louder boos. Carolina fans doubled down when the spotlight turned to the crease. Before his name was even uttered by the rink announcer, Carter Hart’s introduction was barely audible, drowned out by boos that shook the foundation of Lenovo Center.
To say this was the worst part of Hart’s night would almost be premature. Nikolaj Ehlers took his first shot of the game, just 25 seconds in and caught Hart on the low glove side, sneak past his skate. Hart looked off balance - either not ready or shaken by Carolina’s hate. This was just the beginning of what would become an abysmal display of professional goaltending in the game of games.
Hart’s night started incredibly rough. Making your Stanley Cup Final debut with a .000 SV% after your first shot would shake any goalie to their core, especially after the hostile welcome provided by Hurricanes fans.
Ehlers, 0:25 1st — 2-on-1, kept it himself, beat Hart's glove from the left circle. (3rd-fastest Game 1 SCF goal ever, fastest since 1976.)
Ehlers again, 12:08 1st — breakaway, set up by Chatfield. 2-0. Ehlers went to the same side - Hart’s glove. This time, it was a quick 1-2 deke which Hart bought. This caused Hart to drop into a butterfly and when Ehlers pulled far on the backhand to draw out the goalie, Hart lifted his left leg, breaking the ice seal which allowed the puck slide through. That’s why we teach the push into the ice in the butterfly slide - to keep that seal.
Staal, 12:42 2nd — Off a turnover, tied it 3-3. Hart was beat high blocker this time. It was a good shot, but this is also the kind of save you just have to make.
Gostisbehere, 11:19 3rd — unassisted from the left circle off an o-zone faceoff after a Vegas “icing.” Tied it 4-4. GHOST rolls in, lower blocker, Hart screened. This appeared to be Hart’s weakness all night.
With all the focus on Carter Hart, you would think that he was the only goalie in the game. With Frederik Andersen’s .783 SV%, he pretty much was.
Theodore, 13:28 1st — point one-timer deflected in off Eric Robinson's shin. 2-1. What a tough play. It looks like Andersen saw it, but he sort of flops to his knees as a reaction. Looks like a weak reactionary butterfly.
Barbashev, 0:30 2nd — Eichel feed, high wrister short side from the left circle. 2-2. This is a tough goal. True that Barbashev was all alone at the top of the slot, but Andersen was at the top of his crease and on his angle. Leading up to the shot, Andersen looked laggy, taking an extra beat or two to return to his spot. He didn’t look like he was on it for a Stanley Cup Final game.
Yes he was beat by a great shot, but it looked saveable.
Karlsson, 4:35 2nd — slot, off a Marner backhand pass. 3-2. Another example of a defensive breakdown by Carolina. This goal was less Andersen’s fault. Karlsson was just wide open in front of the net and with a quick pop stole Carlolina’s lead.
Howden, 1:21 3rd — cut through the left circle, redirected Theodore's pass under Andersen's right arm. 4-3. Another tough shot to protect. Howden took a great feed and just deflected the puck towards the net. Andersen had a weak push across, and the tip went under the blocker. Another example of Andersen just looking out of it and not ready.
Hertl, 16:36 3rd — give-and-go with Sissons, shot past Andersen's blocker. 5-4 GWG. Came 21 seconds after Hart robbed Jarvis glove-side to keep it 4-4.
Neither goalie was spectacular that night. Hart came up with the biggest save of the game just before Hertl’s game winning goal. Jarvis had a golden opportunity, but Hart was able to clip the shot with his glove hand and secure it for a whistle. Outside of that, average reigned supreme.
Great Stanley Cup champions have had the luxury of relying on superstar goaltending. When your goalie is playing lights out, that frees up the rest of the players on the ice to focus on more output.
The story so far in these Stanley Cup Finals isn’t which team has the better goaltending they can lean on. So far, it’s which team gets beat in net the least. And if you’re saying to yourself “Self, is that the same difference as having a solid goalie?” It’s the dark side of bad goaltending.
Andersen was in his home barn and had the fans behind him, but he looked off. He did just recently lose agent and close friend Claude Lemieux, but that loss occurred before the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals. Hart had to battle a very hostile crowd.
What will be interesting going into game 2 will be seeing if either goalie is now put on a leash. Great Stanley Cup champions can rely on great goaltending, and that just wasn’t the case for game 1. You have to imagine that Andersen is on a tighter leash, losing in that fashion at home and with those numbers.
And after a night of being the villain, Hart stopped outside Lenovo Center afterward and handed a waiting Vegas fan his stick.
Booed all night by one fanbase, makes a kid’s night from the other.