GLENDALE, Ariz. _ Carter Hart seemed so unflappable, so mentally strong, in his rookie season and the first couple months of 2019-20 that it was easy to forget he was barely 21 and there would be growing pains along his path to becoming an All-Star goaltender.
The growing pains, which have escalated on their disastrous road trip, are real and sometimes difficult to watch.
Like the first-period goal that Brad Richardson scored Saturday in Arizona, a shot from distance that hopped past Hart and changed the complexion of the game.
Like the four first-period goals he allowed _ not all of them were his fault, mind you _ in the Flyers' 5-4 loss in Vegas on Thursday.
Like his last seven road starts, which all turned into losses.
Hart denies it, but it sure seems like playing on the road has gotten into his head.
But give coach Alain Vigneault credit for trying to get him out of his road slump by playing him in back-to-back games in Vegas and Arizona. It didn't work, but at least we learned more about Hart: That his focus is wandering, that he's not (yet) the cure-all to what ails the Flyers.
