Hart to miss two to three weeks with lower abdominal strain

Carter Hart

Last season the Flyers needed a team record eight goaltenders to make it through the 82-game schedule.

This season they had got through the minimum of two for the first 46 games.

But that streak came to an end on Wednesday when it was announced that Carter Hart is expected to miss two to three weeks with an abdominal muscle strain he aggravated in Tuesday morning’s practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J.

Hart, 21, was scheduled to serve as Brian Elliott’s backup for Wednesday night’s game at St. Louis.

Instead, Alex Lyon was called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on an emergency basis and he will fill in for Hart.

It’s unclear which goalie will play against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers have steered away from starting goalies in back-to-back games in most instances this season.

Hart has played in 32 games with a record of 15-11-3, a 2.61 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.

He finished Monday night’s 6-5 shootout win over the Boston Bruins and gave no inclination in post-game interviews that something was bothering him.

But Tuesday morning was a different story.

As coach Alain Vigneault pointed out, he was just getting onto the ice several minutes into the practice when Hart came off.

Elliott has played in 21 games with a 9-5-3 record and 3.16 GAA.

Lyon has played in 13 NHL games over two seasons with the Flyers. He has a record of 4-3-1, a 3.01 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.

This season with the Phantoms, he is 9-11-2, 2.56, .916.

Also on Wednesday, winger Joel Farabee was loaned to the Phantoms and Chris Stewart was placed on waivers.

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About Wayne Fish 2385 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

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