Hart stopped 24 of 27 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Wild. Minnesota's fourth goal was an empty-netter late in the third period.
Hart endured a difficult opening period, allowing goals to Matt Boldy, Maxim Shabanov and Danila Yurov within a 5:07 span. The veteran netminder settled down afterward, keeping Minnesota off the scoreboard for the rest of his appearance, but the damage was already done, and the Wild clinched the victory with an empty-netter from Joel Eriksson Ek. This was Hart's second loss of the season, and the second time in five starts he's allowed more than two goals. The netminder is likely to be on the bench against the Predators on Tuesday in the second leg of a back-to-back set, but he could return to the starting lineup against the Flames on Thursday.