McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Dec. 5 – Alexandar Georgiev vs. Carter Hart
Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Mon. Dec. 5, 2022:It’s a classic underdog matchup: the struggling Philadelphia Flyers take on the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.Georgiev has had two tough outings in a row for the Colorado Avalanche, while Carter Hart continues to give the Flyers a chance to win.
The early return on Georgiev has been positive for the Avalanche. Since coming over via trade from the New York Rangers this past offseason, Georgiev has gone 11-3-1 along with a .922 save percentage. But recently he’s allowed nine goals in his past two outings. From my vantage point, I saw a glimpse into the old Georgiev. He was chasing the game and not effectively rotating. Will that matter tonight against the Flyers, a team that’s gone 1-6-3 in its past 10 games? I’m not sure.
Hart started the season on fire but has since cooled considerably. Since Nov. 10, the Flyers netminder has allowed less than three goals only once in 10 games. But Hart is facing one of the most difficult workloads in the NHL. The Flyers have routinely given up an exorbitant amount of high danger chances.
I do think Hart has had some bad luck recently. And it wasn’t realistic to expect him to keep a .940 save percentage for the entire season. A current mark of .911 is indicative of Hart’s recent fall back to earth. He’s lost two straight games against Lightning and Devils. Now Hart gets the Avalanche. Not an easy schedule for the 24-year old from Alberta.No chance I play Hart tonight against the Avalanche. But Georgiev, especially against the Flyers, is an easy decision. Start him.