Hart could make first start for Knights against Blackhawks

It looks like Carter Hart won’t have to wait long to make his first start with the Golden Knights.

All signs point to the goaltender making his first NHL start in nearly two years when the Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old had his first practice as a member of the Knights’ active roster on Monday after officially joining the team.

“Just nice to be back in the mix with the boys,” Hart said. “I think (there are) things in practice you can’t replicate — broken plays, screens, layer traffic, things like that.”

He signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Knights on Oct. 24, less than three months after he was acquitted from a sexual assault case where he and four others were charged from an incident involving Canada’s World Junior team from 2018.

Monday was the first day Hart, and the other four players charged, were eligible to return to the NHL.

Hart spent the first month as the Knights’ third goalie before being assigned to Henderson on a conditioning loan. Hart went 1-2-0 in three starts with the Silver Knights.

His last NHL start was Jan. 20, 2024, with the Philadelphia Flyers. He gave up five goals on 15 shots against the Colorado Avalanche.

“I think preparation is everything,” Hart said. “I’ve worked my ass off to get back to this point. The key lies in preparation. I’ve done everything I can to be prepared, and I’ll be prepared if I get the call tomorrow.”

ESPN reported Hart is expected to start when the Knights end their four-game homestand. They’ll start a five-game East Coast trek Saturday in New Jersey.

Like Hart, coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t tip his hand in naming a starter early.

“I’ll let you know tomorrow morning,” Cassidy said.

But Cassidy did say the plan is for Hart to get a decent number of starts going forward. The schedule is favorable in December with back-to-back games only once.

Cassidy said it’s also being mindful to Akira Schmid, who is 9-2-4 this season and taken the starter’s reps since No. 1 netminder Adin Hill went down with a lower-body injury Oct. 20.

“I don’t want to say he’s going to play 70 percent of the games or what,” Cassidy said. “Let’s get him in there, get him working and see how he recovers from an NHL game.”

The Knights (11-6-8) will look to head into the road trip with some momentum. They’re coming off a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak.

They’re in need of positive results, but also need to balance Hart seeing his first NHL action in 22 months.

“I know he’s excited to play,” captain Mark Stone said. “We’re excited to have him. He’s worked hard to get here. Good on him to go down to Henderson and get some games in.”

Hart said his body feels good and he likes where his game is at. He thought his legs would feel heavy after his first two AHL starts, but it didn’t come to that.

It looks like that’ll be tested at the NHL level sooner rather than later.

“I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple of years,” Hart said. “It’s what gotten me going to get back to this point.”

Smith or Saad?

One of either Brandon Saad or Reilly Smith will draw back into the lineup Tuesday after both veteran wingers were scratched Saturday.

Saad and Smith rotated at third-line left wing during line rushes. They were benched in favor of getting left wing Cole Reinhardt back on the fourth line, and to give right wing Alexander Holtz his first game since Nov. 10.

Cassidy met with Saad and Smith on Monday and will make the decision Tuesday.

“They’re veteran guys and they deserve that respect,” Cassidy said. “We also like the game Reinhardt’s playing in that role. … So that makes it a little more difficult because there’s only one chair for two players.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.