Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart will be scratched for the team’s next two games, head coach Alain Vigneault announced on Monday morning.
“He needs to work harder, he needs to work better,” Vigneault said of Hart, according to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. “I’ve had a good conversation with him … about my expectations, about his practice habits and him stopping the puck.”
The Flyers are facing the lowly Buffalo Sabres in back-to-back games on Monday and Wednesday night. Buffalo has lost 17 times in a row entering this mini series but the Flyers haven’t been much better in that time, giving up a league-worst 66 goals in 15 games since March 1 and posting a 5-9-1 record.
Hart, 22, has posted a 20-8-9 record with a 4.04 goals-against average and a .869 save percentage in 22 games (20 starts) this season, but like his team has struggled in March. In 10 games (eight starts) this month, Hart has a .815 save percentage and a 2-6-0 record.
Brian Elliott, who started in Saturday’s win over the Rangers, is expected to start both games against the Sabres. Alex Lyon is the team’s third goalie on the taxi squad.
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