Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was sensational as he pitched a 3-0 shutout over the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. As good as Quick was, however, he wasn’t the best goalie in hockey Monday night.
That title belongs to Michael Hutchinson, a former Bruins prospect who’s now in the Winnipeg Jets’ organization and was between the pipes for the St. John’s IceCaps in Game 2 of the AHL’s Calder Cup Finals. Hutchinson turned in a ridiculous performance, stopping 49 of the 50 shots he faced in the IceCaps’Â 2-1 win that evened the series with the Texas Stars at one game apiece.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFDxDPN8S0&w=640&h=360]
It was a nice bounce-back for Hutchinson after he allowed five goals in a Game 1 loss to Texas.
Not only is Hutchinson playing for the AHL title, he’s playing for a job next season. The Jets’ goaltending situation at the NHL level is an absolute mess. Ondrej Pavelec is signed through 2016-17 at a $3.9 million salary-cap hit. Al Montoya, however, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Hutchinson himself will be a restricted free agent, and it will be interesting to see what happens with him moving forward. He did appear in three games with the big club this season and posted a .943 save percentage and 1.64 goals against average. That includes a 32-save shootout win over the Bruins on April 10.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@IceCapsAHL
