The goalie stopped the one chance he faced during that 5-on-3, a deflection into his glove on a pass through the crease. He robbed Tyler Toffoli on a put-back attempt shortly thereafter, then finished the shutout as his defense settled down for the rest of the third period.
"You just keep competing," Hutton said. "You can't really let your guard down. You never think you're unbeatable by any means. They had a lot of chances and stuff. I think for us, that 5-on-3 kill was like a big set. In the second there we were kind of getting frustrated. We thought we were giving up a little too much.
"Especially with a three-goal lead, we'd like to be a little tighter. But, the 5-on-3 happens and it's a big kill. I don't think they really had much. They had like maybe one or two shots and from there we just kind of take the game over."
The goalie's demeanor helped. Mittelstadt referred to Hutton as a calming presence in the defensive zone, an assessment echoed by his coach.
"No matter what's going on, the game could be chaos and you look back and he's always calm and relaxed and he does a great job," Mittelstadt said. "Obviously, he's a great guy in the room and he stole us that one tonight."
"He's, off the ice, first of all, just a very strong leader for us," Krueger added. "But within the game, he just lives in a very small, controlled world. His emotions are flat but intense. You really enjoy having that kind of presence in the room and on the ice."
Hutton finished the game ranked second in the NHL in save percentage (.953) and goals-against average (1.39). In both categories, he trails another name etched in the Sabres' record books: Ducks goalie Ryan Miller, who's made just one start this season.
He's also won all five of his starts, tied for the league lead with Vegas' Marc-Andre Fleury. This one came with the Sabres in need of a response, just 24 hours removed from their first regulation loss of the season.
"It's just about winning hockey games," Hutton said. "We found a way to win, that's what matters. We got our two points. Back to backs aren't easy. They pressed and we held the fort."