Francouz was 21-7-4 with a 2.41 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 34 games (31 starts) in the regular season. Hutchinson, the third goalie with the Avalanche in Edmonton, has backed up Francouz since Philipp Grubauer left Game 1 of the series with an injury. Grubauer will be unfit to play in Game 5. Each team was permitted to bring no more than 31 players, with no more than 28 skaters and an unlimited number of goalies, to its hub city.
"Frankie's a great goalie, and Hutch is a proven NHL goalie as well," Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon said. "So it's not on them. It's on us to give them easy saves, easy looks. We're letting their big bodies stand in front of the net and tip pucks unharmed right now. We can win more battles, be more mean in our crease, help those guys out."
Hutchinson, who was traded to the Avalanche by the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Calle Rosen on Feb. 24, was 4-9-1 with a 3.66 GAA and .886 save percentage in 15 games (11 starts) with Toronto this season. He saved 17 of 18 shots in his only start for the Avalanche, a 2-1 win at the Detroit Red Wings on March 2. He is 51-52-14 with a 2.80 GAA, .905 save percentage and five shutouts in 127 games (107 starts) with the Avalanche, Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets.
Colorado has allowed 19 goals against Dallas, including five goals in three games.
"We haven't been at our best in this series, and we have to be at our best in order to win the next game, and so on down the line," Bednar said. "I would put pressure on our team to be better than what we've been in areas we've been stressing all year, rather than looking at a totally different approach."
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
