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TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a victory without Frederik Andersen in net.
Michael Hutchinson made 29 saves in his first win of the season and the Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory overall and first with a No. 2 goaltender.
The crowd at Scotiabank Arena gave the 29-year-old Hutchinson a standing ovation as the final seconds ticked down on his first NHL win since Jan. 10 of last season.
"That was a special moment. Obviously I haven't been getting the results this year so it was nice to put a win in the column and hear the fans support you," Hutchinson said.
Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews each had two goals and an assist for the Maple Leafs (19-14-4).
Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the Red Wings (9-25-3), who have lost 15 of 17.
Jonathan Bernier started in net for Detroit. He stopped the three shots he faced before leaving the game less than seven minutes in due to a lower-body injury. Calvin Pickard came on in relief and made 16 saves in the loss.
Hutchinson entered Saturday 0-5-1 with a 4.55 goals-against average and .876 save percentage in six starts. Frederik Andersen is 18-8-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .919 save percentage in 29 games.
"I've been on the bench watching Freddy make big saves, I tried not to over think things," Hutchinson said. “I feel like I'm in a good head space right now, feeling relaxed.”
Toronto, which was playing the second game of a back-to-back following a 6-3 win Friday in New York against the Rangers, started slow and was sloppy through the opening 10 minutes.
Hutchinson stopped two breakaway chances by Dylan Larkin early on, and played well in the second.
First, he stopped Andreas Athanasiou on a breakaway as his teammates appeared to be a tired group for much of the first 40 minutes. He then made a blocker save on Larkin, who was streaking down the wing.
“You get the chances, but if one of those go in it's a different game tonight, that's the frustrating part for myself,” Larkin said.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe added: “We got the saves early, clearly we needed that.”
Toronto trailed 21-14 in shots when it caught a break for the game's first goal with 2:50 to go in the second.
Hyman was pulled down by Mike Green on a breakaway, leading to a tripping penalty. But video review showed the loose puck bounced off the trailing Red Wings defender and crossed the goal line before the Leaf forward crashed into the net, negating the penalty and giving the Leafs a 1-0 lead.
Toronto appeared to find its energy for the third period, with Mitch Marner moving onto the wing with Hyman and Matthews.
Matthews doubled the lead 2:18 into the third with a shot that beat Pickard between the pads. Hyman added his second of the game at 8:51 with a backhand over Pickard's glove.
The Leafs scored again when Matthews finished off a pass in front from Marner at 13:39.
Detroit forward Anthony Mantha had to be helped off the ice in the final minutes after being thrown to the ice by Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin near the sideboards in the Leafs' end. Mantha hit his head on the play and was left wobbly.
Muzzin was given a 10-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct along with a two-minute minor for roughing. The Red Wings took advantage of the man advantage, spoiling Hutchinson's shutout bid when Bertuzzi scored with 1:44 remaining in the game.
Mantha's teammates were upset with Muzzin's actions, and Athanasiou appeared to be out for vengeance when he took a kneeing penalty with just 34 seconds left to play that led to the 25 year old dropping the gloves with the Leafs Justin Holl.
"I think it's preventable. I think the league really needs to look at that," Larkin said of the Muzzin play. “A wrestling move can't be in our game like that. ... He takes his legs out and it's dangerous, not a hockey play.”
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Host Arizona on Sunday.
Maple Leafs: Host Carolina on Monday.
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