Keefe flips switch on goalie rotation
Recalled Hutchinson first, Andersen second in back-to-back with Sabres
New Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe continues to be the anti-Mike Babcock.
He has unshackled the offence, activated the defence, put smiles on his players’ faces and now the latest: Backup goalie Michael Hutchinson will start Friday night in the first game of a key back-to-back series against the Sabres.
Under Babcock, the first game of a back-to-back always went to Frederik Andersen, who will instead start Saturday night at home.
Keefe said there were extenuating circumstances behind the change in philosophy. For one, he doesn’t want Hutchinson sitting on the bench right after his recall from the AHL Marlies, where he performed well.
“There’s more things at play, though, in this situation,” the coach said of giving Hutchinson the 4 p.m. Friday start. “I know Freddie played the (5 p.m.) game out in Colorado, but Hutchinson played more in the American league. So four o’clock starts, he’s accustomed to that.
“Also, we’re going to get back to Toronto at a good time. It’s going to allow for the chance for a normal game day for Andersen on Saturday — to get the morning skate, get ready to play.”
Under Babcock in back-tobacks, Andersen sometimes faced the lesser opponent while the backup started against a division rival, so some leeway might have made more sense. Hutchinson went 0-3-1 before his demotion, and Babcock seemed finished with him. It didn’t matter that all four of his games were the second of backto-backs, when the Leafs were more tired.
Babcock wasn’t necessarily wrong. With Andersen, the Leafs went 35-9-7 over threeplus seasons in the first game when they played on consecutive days. They were19-29-3 in the second game with a parade of backups, Curtis McElhinney the most reliable.
Hutchinson seemed unlikely to get a second chance. But callup Kasimir Kaskisuo had a rough debut (allowing six goals nearly two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, again in the second of a back-to-back) while the 29year-old Hutchinson — initially with Keefe coaching the Marlies — found his game in the
AHL (3-0-0 with a .948 save percentage).
“It was a challenge for (Hutchinson) coming down, of course — just the way that the season had gone, and then so abruptly being told you’re going to be going down,” Keefe said. “It’s a tough realization especially for someone at his stage of his career.
“There was some challenging days there. We had to talk to him. Also had to be patient with him and let him kind of work through some things emotionally. And then, just a credit to him. We were not surprised that he, over time, just settled in and then — the good pro that he was — just got to work. He’s played outstanding for the Marlies.”