WASHINGTON -- Carter Hutton understands this opportunity might be fleeting.
Jake Allen remains the St. Louis Blues' No. 1 goaltender and, at some point, coach Mike Yeo will probably go back to giving him the bulk of the starts. That could begin as soon as the Blues' next game against the Florida Panthers at Scottrade Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, FS-F, NHL.TV) or following the six-day break they have after that game.
Hutton making most of opportunity with Blues
Backup goalie taking advantage of increased playing time during contract season
So Hutton knows he has to make the most of every chance he gets. As a 32-year-old backup slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, he doesn't know how many more there will be.
"It's a big year for me," Hutton said after making 29 saves in the Blues' 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. "I've never really gotten a ton of extra playing time. I've always kind of been in a backup role unless someone struggles or gets hurt. I think this is the first time where I've really been able to get in there. Jake is playing really well too, and I'm playing well. So we're pushing each other.
"Yeo's shown some confidence giving me some more games."
Hutton's start Sunday was his fourth in five games, but his 12th of the season. It was the first when he allowed more than three goals and third he gave up more than two.
Even after that, Hutton is second in the NHL with a 1.81 goals-against average and .941 save percentage behind Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (1.73 GAA, .945 save percentage). No one was blaming him for the loss to the Capitals, who extended their home winning streak to nine thanks to Nicklas Backstrom's breakaway goal with 43 seconds remaining in overtime.
"I thought he really battled again," Yeo said. "He played well. I'm not really going to fault him for any of those goals. He's a competitor and he played well for us."
Yeo has been careful when discussing his goaltending plans. Allen, 27, is 18-13-2 with a 2.64 GAA, .911 save percentage and one shutout, but has struggled the past four weeks.
Since Dec. 11, Allen is 1-7-0, including losses in his past three starts, with a 3.00 GAA and .906 save percentage. Hutton (8-3-1) started three in a row before Allen played in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and allowed five goals on 38 shots.
Yeo went back to Hutton on Sunday but said not to read anything into that.
"We had back-to-back games and no matter what the situation was we would have gone with both goalies," he said. "So there's no situation there. What I would say is Carter earned a couple extra games this week and good on him."
Allen went through a similar rough patch from Dec. 22 to Jan. 31 of last season, going 1-6-0 and getting pulled four times in eight starts while compiling a 4.12 GAA and .842 save percentage. He found his game after Yeo replaced the fired Ken Hitchcock as coach Feb. 2.
From that point to the end of the regular season, Allen went 16-7-2 with a 1.85 GAA, .938 save percentage and three shutouts, and continued his strong play into the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help the Blues defeat the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round.
Hutton appreciates as much as anyone what Allen did for the Blues last season and how important he'll likely be for them over the second half of this season.
"I've tried to state that all the time, that I understand my role here whether it's playing a bunch in a row or every couple of weeks," Hutton said. "Jake's our guy. Jake's been great this year and you look at the way he played last year, he carried us through the first round of the playoffs. He's been rock solid all year.
"It's just one of those things that I've been able to have some good success. Throughout an 82-game season, you're going to have some time when you need both guys."
An undrafted journeyman, Hutton signed his first pro contract with the Flyers at age 24 after completing his college career at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2010. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native spent time in the American Hockey League and ECHL while bouncing from Philadelphia to the San Jose Sharks to the Chicago Blackhawks.
After finally making his NHL debut with Chicago on April 27, 2013 against the Blues, Hutton dressed as the backup for five playoff games when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that season and received a ring, but did not get his name on the Cup. He went from Chicago to the Nashville Predators and played for them for three seasons before signing a two-year contract with the Blues to be Allen's backup on July 1, 2016.
Hutton made 30 appearances, including 21 starts, and went 13-8-2 with a 2.39 GAA, .913 save percentage and four shutouts last season. The other NHL season when he got at least 20 starts was 2013-14, when he made 40 appearances and 34 starts with the Predators, going 20-11-4 with a 2.62 GAA, .910 save percentage and one shutout.
With the Blues having 37 games left, Hutton is on pace to top 20 starts again. He'll be ready if he's needed for more than that.
And he can help himself while helping the Blues.
"It's a contract year," Hutton said. "So every extra game I can get in is important to try to help this team win, and we want to make a push to win the Stanley Cup here."
