With the NHL All-Star Break stretching into a weeklong layoff for the Philadelphia Flyers a few weeks ago, the organization decided it wasn’t a good time to have phenom goalie Carter Hart just sitting around, getting some uninspiring work in away from the ice. So, the Flyers sent Hart back to Lehigh Valley during that stretch so he could see some old friends and family, play a game of competitive hockey and still have enough down time to take a breath after what was a 7-5-1 start to his NHL career at that point.

Hart was clued into the game plan and took advantage of how the plan was supposed to work. After a couple days to visit with family, he was back with Lehigh Valley and played in Bridgeport in what was a key game for the Phantoms, who are battling for a playoff spot with the Sound Tigers.

“I had five or six days off the ice,” said Hart. “It’s good to get a bit of a break and see my family and friends and go home and take a little time away from the rink and spend time with them. It’s good to get back out there again and get into a game and just feel some pucks again.”

As planned, Hart then returned to the Flyers where the team continues to try and streak toward a playoff berth. While Hart’s NHL numbers maybe aren’t considered spectacular, you have to consider that he’s playing with a team that has a lot of holes outside of the goalie position. The Flyers are 28-24-7 through this past weekend, but Hart is 13-6-1 in his career so far with a .924 save percentage.

Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, Hart’s presence wasn’t enough to give them a win over Bridgeport in that contest, even though he saved 32 of 35 shots in the game and all 20 shots that he faced in the first 20-minutes.

TRAVELING COMPANION ... Hart had a buddy to make the trip back to Philadelphia with when the Flyers also recalled forward Mikhail Vorobyev, who they had assigned to the Phantoms at the end of October. Vorobyev opened the season on the Flyers roster and got his first NHL career point in their opener at Las Vegas and then recorded his first NHL goal in the next game against Colorado.