In a tense encounter on Thursday night, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart suffered an apparent injury to his left leg during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The incident occurred while Columbus had possession of the puck, forcing Hart, visibly affected, to remain in his area while his teammates tried to defend the goal. Boone Jenner took advantage of the situation to score, putting the Blue Jackets ahead with a score of 1-0 at 8:24 of the period.
Given the situation, Akira Schmid came in as a replacement for Hart.
According to NHL rules, the game does not stop for a player’s injury if the opposing team has the puck, unless the severity of the injury is evident.
The Golden Knights were already in a complicated situation in the goaltending position, given that Adin Hill has been out of action since he injured his left leg on October 20 against Carolina. However, Hill participated in Thursday’s practice and could be close to returning.
Vegas signed Hart in October, and he made his debut on December 2 in a 4-3 victory over Chicago. It was his first NHL appearance in almost two years.
Hart was one of five players from the 2018 Canadian junior hockey team who were cleared of sexual assault charges in July. He was the first of those five to agree to an NHL contract.
The league determined that those players were eligible to sign agreements starting October 15 and to play starting December 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract.
Before this match, their record was 5-3-3 with an average of 3.23 goals against and a save percentage of .874.
