Leafs looking for Clutchinson to kick start their back to back

It was inevitable that we’d see Michael Hutchinson this season, but even as someone who follows the Leafs and knows of their uncanny ability to the find the most difficult path, I don’t think I would have ever guessed that Hutchinson would be playing for the Leafs by Game Five. These things happen, and as much as I’m always afraid of saying this when it comes to the Leafs, it could be worse. Hutchinson had a .919 save percentage in his eight games last season. That looks pretty decent, right? Of course it doesn’t account for the fact that 3 of the 8 appearances were sub .900, including Hutch being chased six minutes into a game against Ottawa after giving up two goals on the first three shots.

Hutch is a mixed bag, but given the fact that it’s a back to back, it was going to be necessary to start him at some point this weekend. Interestingly enough the Leafs chose to give Hutch the first game of the back to back, and the game played at home. The decision to start Hutchinson also shortens Campbell’s rest between starts as he’ll go tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, and then likely start against Carolina on Monday as well. That extra day off could have been nice, on paper San Jose is the worse offensive team, and the Leafs see Hutchinson tonight and Campbell tomorrow night as their best path to a four point weekend.

Tonight’s game also features another oddity, the 6pm start time. Despite the challenge to catch the opening minutes of the first period, this seems like a very beneficial way to start to a back to back, as every hour helps when it comes to flying into a new city and getting set up. That’s one extra hour of sleep for everyone, and even a small thing like that can make a difference in fighting fatigue tomorrow night.

Hopefully we see the Leafs come out with an aggressive start against the Sharks so they can manage time more carefully later in the game as well.