After an unlikely reunion on the Vegas Golden Knights, former Philadelphia Flyers Carter Hart and John Tortorella find themselves just four more wins from the Stanley Cup Final.
On Thursday night, Hart, Tortorella, and the Golden Knights eliminated fellow former Flyers Ryan Poehling, Cutter Gauthier, and the Anaheim Ducks with a dominant 5-1 win, claiming the series 4-2.
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They await the vaunted Colorado Avalanche, who have run into goaltending issues of late but have more or less breezed their way to the Western Conference Final with little difficulty.
Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and the Minnesota Wild were brushed aside by the Stanley Cup favorites in just five games.
Interestingly enough, Hart’s last game for the Flyers, which he played under Tortorella, was against the Avalanche over two years ago on Jan. 20, 2024.
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The 27-year-old was stunned for five goals on just 15 shots in the 7-4 loss and was replaced by Sam Ersson.
Three days later, Hart took a personal leave from the Flyers, and was then charged with sexual assault stemming from the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case on Feb. 5.
Having sat out the entire 2024-25 season, Hart was found not guilty of the sexual assault charge levied against him on July 24. The Golden Knights officially signed the goalie on Oct. 24.
Hart showed plenty of signs of rust after the long layoff this season, stumbling to a career-worst .891 save percentage despite a 11-3-3 regular season record with the Golden Knights.
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In the playoffs, though, the former Flyers goalie is 8-4-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage, coming back to life with a .935 save percentage across these past six games against the Ducks.
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As for Tortorella, who was fired by the Flyers on March 27, 2025, he took over for an elite coach in Bruce Cassidy in a shock switch from Vegas back on March 29, bookending almost exactly a full year away from the bench.
The Golden Knights quickly ripped off a sizzling 7-0-1 finish under their new coach, which has, obviously, carried over into the playoffs.
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Notably, Mitch Marner, of all players, leads the entire NHL playoffs in scoring with his seven goals, 11 assists, and 18 points in 12 games under Tortorella, which speaks volumes about the job the ex-Flyers bench boss is doing.
Where things go from here is dubious at best with Colorado looming, but the Flyers have certainly been well represented this postseason, especially with a respectable run of their own.
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