Carter Hart literally juggled his way through the quarantine | On the Fly
Broke a guitar string, too. The Flyers goalie used the stoppage as best he could. Most teams coming off long COVID layoffs, like the Flyers tonight, have struggled in their return.
There’s lots of juggling going on these days. The NHL is constantly adjusting the schedule. Alain Vigneault is shuffling his lines like a chemist. And then there’s Carter Hart. If he keeps it up, he’ll be a Vegas lounge act after he’s done hockey.
“You’ve just got to find different ways to stay sharp,” said Hart, who will be back in the net tonight when the Flyers play their first game in 11 days.
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— Ed Barkowitz (flyers@inquirer.com)
Carter Hart has his eyes back on the ice
Some people clean their house during a quarantine, others watch Netflix.
Carter Hart used the last 10 days or so to work on a skill that sounds cute but is a fascinating exercise in his quest to being the game’s best goaltender. This video on Facebook is pretty cool.
“I perfected my four-ball juggling,” the Flyers’ netminder said quite proudly after Wednesday’s practice. “I was able to kind of do one or two, and now I’m up to doing four balls pretty [fluidly].”
The Flyers goaltender said the activity helps his visual skills. Neat, especially with all the pucks he’s seen this season.
He also broke a string on his guitar, which is kind of a drag.
The Flyers on Thursday will play their first game in 11 days. They will be the ninth team that has gone at least seven days between games thanks to COVID-19 stoppages. Four of the five that restarted this week lost their first game.
The exception was New Jersey, which surprised the same Rangers team the Flyers host on Thursday. The Devils controlled enough of the play throughout the game that New York’s Chris Kreider called his team’s performance “unacceptable.”
The Flyers haven’t scored a goal in their last three first periods, and the Rangers figure to have had a fire lit under them by coach David Quinn. So what is his Flyers’ counterpart expecting?
“That’s a good question and I don’t have an answer for you,” Alain Vigneault said. “I mean, honestly. We’ve been totally out for more than seven days.”
By the time Thursday’s game starts, the Flyers will have had one full practice, one partial practice and one morning skate since they were shut down on Jan. 9. Equipment man Harry Bricker might want to bring along some Rust-Oleum.
St. Joseph’s women’s basketball coach Cindy Griffin, whose program has endured four COVID-19 stoppages this season (FOUR!), said upon return her players struggled with “the timing. You’re missing the touch of a pass from your teammates. You’re missing that connection.”
Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk said pretty much the same thing, almost verbatim.
“The little feel that you have to have out there for different plays in different situations,” JVR said. “Once you get into the rhythm of the season, you start to feel that more. And some of those things become second nature.
“But we know there’s been different teams that have dealt with it and it’s our turn right now to make the most of it.”
Things to know
An already-compressed schedule is really going to tighten up on the Flyers, who were idle for the last 11 days. Complaint department is on the 5th floor. “That’s why we have a tax squad,” a league official told The Inquirer.
That taxi squad better fill up on gas. David Kase was on the second power-play unit and the entire fourth line will be made up of spare parts. Maksim Sushko will make his NHL debut. “As soon as we get closer to the game,” he said. “I’m going to feel it.”
No Giroux, no Jake, no TK? Sam Carchidi rolls out the revamped lines from Wednesday’s practice.
At least one role for Kevin Hayes hasn’t changed. It’s just gotten harder. The Flyers’ second-line center and front-line comedian knows he has to keep the locker room loose.
Around the division
Top four make the playoffs
1. Boston, 22 points, 14 games: Split up their renowned top line, moving David Pastrnak down to David Krejci’s line and putting Jake DeBrusk up with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
2. N.Y. Islanders, 19 points, 15 games: The Isles have shot up the standings with a 5-0-1 after losing their previous five.
3. Flyers, 18 points, 13 games: The Flyers have won nine of their last 10 against the Rangers, with eight of those wins coming in overtime.
4. Washington, 17 points, 14 games: Goalie Vitek Vanecek has started 11 consecutive games as opening-day No. 1 Ilya Samsonov makes his way back from COVID-19.
5. Pittsburgh, 15 points, 14 games: The Penguins have trailed in each of their 14 games this year. They are 7-6-1.
6. New Jersey, 12 points, 10 games: Travis Zajac could be back in the lineup on Saturday. He’s two away from becoming the fourth Devil to reach 1,000 games. Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko and Patrik Elias are the others. Bobby Clarke is the only Flyer with 1K.
7. N.Y. Rangers, 11 points, 14 games: MVP finalist Artemi Panarin will be back in the lineup against the Flyers. He had missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury. ... Defenseman Jacob Trouba, second on the team in ice time, broke his thumb on Tuesday and will miss 4-6 weeks.
8. Buffalo, 10 points, 12 games: Jack Eichel, who had 36 goals in 68 games last season, has two in 12 games this year.
Thursday’s schedule
New Jersey at Boston, 7 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
N.Y. Rangers at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)
Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
Gone streakin’
Claude Giroux will miss Thursday night’s contest against the Rangers, thus ending his impressive consecutive games streak at 328. He currently is tied with Ivan Provorov for second place in franchise history behind only Rod Brind’Amour. Here is the top 10 with the reason each streak ended.
1. Rod Brind’Amour, Feb. 24, 1993-April 18, 1999, Broken foot, 484 games
t2. Ivan Provorov, Oct. 14, 2016-Active, 328 games
t2. Claude Giroux, Oct. 14, 2016-Feb. 7, 2021, COVID-19 protocol, 328 games
4. John LeClair, April 22, 1995-March 9, 1999, Bruised hip, 317 games
5. Rick MacLeish, Oct. 7, 1972-Feb. 5, 1976, Knee injury, 287 games
t6. Jake Voracek, March 13, 2012-Feb. 25, 2016, Foot injury, 286 games
t6. Jeff Carter, Dec. 19, 2006-March 21, 2010, Broken foot, 286 games
8. Ross Lonsberry, Oct. 17, 1973-Jan. 27, 1977, Eye injury, 284 games
9. Bobby Clarke, Jan. 2, 1971-April 4, 1974, Rest for postseason, 276 games
10. Brian Propp, Jan. 31, 1981-Feb. 23, 1984, Grandmother’s funeral, 250 games
Upcoming schedule
Thursday: vs. Rangers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)
Sunday: vs. Boston, at Lake Tahoe, 3 p.m. (NBC)
Wednesday: vs. Rangers, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Saturday, Feb. 27: at Buffalo, 1 p.m. (NBCSP)
Sunday, Feb. 28: at Buffalo, 3 p.m. (NBCSP)
From the mailbag
Question: Why did the NHL give adequate time for the other teams dealing with COVID but are rushing the Flyers back to play short-handed? — @nateschenn via Twitter
Sam Carchidi: The league says that’s why teams have a taxi squad. I agree with you, though, that the Flyers should not be forced to play Thursday.
Ed Barkowitz: To me, it’s all about the outdoor game. I’m sure the league wants the Flyers to get a game in before going to Lake Tahoe even if half the squad has to be called up from the JV. They’ve already started to hedge themselves by jostling the weekend schedule. If the Flyers-Bruins has to be postponed, they could move the Devils-Capitals up four hours to fill NBC’s 3 o’clock window.
Send questions or observations via Twitter to beat writers Ed Barkowitz (@EdBarkowitz) or Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull).