"I've had a pretty long career so far and this was my first playoff start," said Hutchinson, who made 31 saves. "It's what you work for when you're a kid. Your dream when playing in the backyard is playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, for myself, I was excited, and I was looking forward to the opportunity to get a chance to play."
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told Hutchinson on Sunday he would start in place of Pavel Francouz, who was unfit to play. Francouz allowed five goals on 26 shots in a 5-4 loss in Game 4 on Sunday before being replaced in the third period by Hutchinson, who made three saves in his NHL playoff debut.
He's the first to extend a series in his first start since April 22, 2010, when Pascal Leclaire and the Ottawa Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in triple overtime in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Leclaire and Ottawa would go on to lose 4-3 in overtime in Game 6.
Game 6 of the best-of-7 series will be in Edmonton, the West hub city, on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, SN). It is unknown if Hutchinson will start again.
Colorado gave Hutchinson a cushion early in the game on Monday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and outshooting Dallas 23-5 in the first period. However, he said that didn't lessen the pressure on him.
"Dallas has a very good offensive game," Hutchinson said. "You saw what they did to [the Calgary Flames] last series after Calgary got off to a fast start (in Game 6, leading 3-0 then losing 7-3). Your game doesn't change whether you're up by a lot or it's a close game. Just stay present for the moment and be ready for anything."