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 Naturally, there's really no forgetting your first win in the
show — especially against the club that chose you and then let you
go.
Hutchinson was unquestionably the star of the night as Winnipeg
rallied for a 2-1 shootout victory over the Boston Bruins in the
Jets' final home game of the season.
The 24-year-old backup stopped 32 shots through regulation time and
five-minute overtime session and then turned aside Boston forwards
Reilly Smith, Ryan Spooner and Brad Marchand in the shootout.
Winnipeg center Bryan Little scored the only goal of the shootout,
beating Boston backup Chad Johnson through the five-hole on the very
first shot.
Hutchinson got his first NHL start Monday in a 1-0 loss to the
Minnesota Wild, and Jets coach Paul Maurice gave him an opportunity
to play against the top club in the NHL.
"Playing your first game is something very special, but getting a
first win trumps that a little bit," Hutchinson said. "And it being
against Boston, the team that kind of gave up on me, makes it even
sweeter."
Hutchinson was selected by the Bruins in the third round of the NHL
draft in 2008 and went on to play three seasons in their
minor-league system. But he wasn't resigned. He inked a one-year,
two-way deal with the Jets last summer.
With Bruins All-Star regular starter Tuukka Rask taking a breather,
Johnson got the call and stopped 36 shots.
Left winger Evander Kane broke out of a nine-game scoring slump late
in the third period, tying the game at 1 with just 1:57 left in
regulation. Kane took a drop pass from Blake Wheeler and fired a low
shot past Johnson for his 18th goal of the season.
Marchand scored his 24th of the season midway through the opening
period on Hutchinson's only indecisive moment of the contest. Frozen
in his crease, he let the speedy forward pick up a loose puck just
off the left post, cut in and slide the puck past him.
Apart from that, he was brilliant against the club that drafted him
nearly six years ago.
He wasn't tested much by the Wild three days ago but had to be
brilliant against the Bruins, particularly against one of the game's
great scorers.
Hutchinson stopped veteran sniper Jerome Iginla no fewer than four
times, staring down the perennial 30-goal scorer on a first-period
breakaway and then denying him a on a pair of one-timers in the
middle frame to keep the Jets within a goal.
"This game I felt a lot more comfortable with my depth in my net and
was more aware of where everyone was on the ice," he said. "The guys
at the back door I was able to get across and get a good read on
them.
"It's huge. Getting your first NHL win goes a long way to your
confidence. There's only one more game left here and then I'm back
to St. John's for a long playoff run. So knowing I can win at this
level does a lot for my confidence."
Missing several injured regulars, the Jets' lineup featured half a
dozen recent call-ups from the club's AHL affiliate, the St. John's
IceCaps, including Hutchinson.
Maurice, who ran his club through a brutal skate on Wednesday, was
duly impressed with Hutchinson's effort and the resolve of his club
to rally late.
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"Against (Boston), when the breakdown happens, that's when your
goalie comes up and stops it," Maurice said. "And what I've been
happy about Michael the last two games is he made some great saves
but it wasn't ones he couldn't understand, that he had no chance on.
He read those seams perfectly and his push was perfect and he was
square on the shot and knew where the shot was going.
"Our players played as hard as they could to give him a chance to be
great and win, and that's what happened. The thing I am most pleased
about is the push they found at the end."
The Jets (36-35-10), 12th in the Western Conference, will miss the
playoffs for the third straight year since relocating from Atlanta.
The club closes out the season Friday night at Calgary.
With the truly meaningful games still on the horizon, Rask, center
Patrice Bergeron and blue-liner Zdeno Chara didn't dress for Boston.
The Bruins (53-18-9) have 115 points and remain in hot pursuit of
the NHL's regular-season title, the President's Trophy. They hold a
three-point edge on the Anaheim Ducks and are four up on the St.
Louis Blues.
Boston closes out the season against Buffalo at home Saturday and at
New Jersey on Sunday.
Boston is 16-1-4 in its last 21 games, including a 15-0-1 streak
through most of March. But the club has just one regulation victory
in its last five games.
Marchand said his club cannot afford to adopt any bad habits with
the postseason set to begin in less than a week.
"We seemed to be a little too relaxed in the third," he said. "They
came out like they really wanted it, and we didn't push back. We
were pretty sloppy in our own end and it cost us.
"It seems like we aren't preparing, and we should be. We're still
fighting for the top of the league and we want to make sure we
finish there. We have to be a lot more prepared for the next game."
NOTES: The Jets were flying without their captain, LW Andrew Ladd,
for the second straight game. He is out with a deep gash on his
elbow and will not dress for the club's final game of the season on
Friday in Calgary against the Flames. RW Dustin Byfuglien, C Mark
Scheifele, D Zach Bogosian and G Al Montoya are also hurt and done
for the year. ... Bruins RW Jerome Iginla leads the club with 30
goals, the 12th straight 82-game season the former Flames great has
reached the magic number. ... Jets first-year D Jacob Trouba has set
franchise records for goals by a rookie blue liner (10) and average
ice time per game (22:40). Trouba's average ice time leads all NHL
rookies this season. ... RW Devin Setoguchi was granted a leave of
absence from the Jets on Thursday for a personal matter. ... Because
he was a healthy scratch for Boston, C Patrice Bergeron had a
career-best 12-game point streak (10 goals, six assists) come to an
abrupt end.
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