Hutchinson, Maple Leafs shut out Canucks

TORONTO--- Michael Hutchinson made 28 saves in his second start with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a 5-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

"It's awesome, it's an amazing feeling, something you grow up thinking about as a kid and for it to actually happen is hard to put words to," said Hutchinson, who grew up an hour from Toronto in Barrie, Ontario. "The guys made it about as easy as it comes. We did a great job blocking shots, letting me have time to cover rebounds whenever they were around. We backchecked really hard tonight. The guys played really well in front of me tonight."
Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists, and Trevor Moore scored his first NHL goal for the Maple Leafs (27-12-2), who have won six of their past eight games.
WATCH: [All Canucks vs. Maple Leafs highlights]
"I thought we worked, tracked, played hard in the offensive zone and had most guys going, so that was really positive," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "When we put our work in front of our skill, we have a chance to have success."

Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves for the Canucks (20-21-4), who went 3-3-0 on a six-game road trip and were shut out for the second game in a row and fourth time in their past seven.
"If you want to win hockey games, you have to score goals," Vancouver forward Bo Horvat said. "I'd be more worried if we weren't getting chances, but we are. It's just a matter of bearing down. They are a [heck] of a team. I thought we did a pretty good job of sticking with them there for the first two periods and a little bit in the third, but then it just got away from us."
The Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 8:54 of the first period when Tavares deflected Morgan Rielly's shot at the top of the crease.

Moore made it 2-0 at 14:30 when he got the puck in the defensive zone, got around Canucks defenseman Derrick Pouliot at the offensive blue line, and shot between Markstrom's pads.
"I was just trying to drive the play down to the other end of the ice but I didn't think I was going to get around him and have that happen," said Moore, a forward who played his fifth NHL game. "I don't think (I could have imagined my first goal being that memorable). I thought one might just hit me in the butt at some point if I was ever going to score, but it was great, they all count the same, so it was really exciting."

Matthews put Toronto up 3-0 at 4:45 of the third period on a wraparound. It was his 20th goal of the season, his third consecutive 20-goal season to start his NHL career.
Johnsson scored at 11:55 to make it 4-0. Ozhiganov put the Maple Leafs up 5-0 at 14:49 when his shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle went off Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson in front of the net.

Toronto for the sixth time this season avoided what would have been a season-high three-game losing streak.
"That's great for us to bounce back quickly," Matthews said. "All teams go through it, stretches where you're not playing well, stuffs not clicking, but I think the really good teams are able to snap out of it quick. That stat I think proves that we're going in the right direction, and when we're not playing well, we can get back to quickly doing what makes us successful."

They said it

"I thought we looked tired tonight and that's not a team that [you] really want play tired against. I thought we hung in there for two periods but couldn't contain them in the third. They defend quick, and if you don't have your legs against them they make it hard on you." -- Canucks coach Travis Green
"Playing street hockey you always think about (getting a shutout for the Maple Leafs). When you get to professional hockey, there's so many teams and opportunities. It's just a privilege to play in the NHL no matter where it is. I was really thankful I got a chance to play in the NHL, and now playing for the Leafs, it's one of those things I definitely don't take for granted knowing how far you've come." -- Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson

Need to know

Canucks forward Elias Pettersson was scratched after he injured his right leg in a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. An MRI taken Saturday revealed a slight sprain of the MCL. "It's not too bad," Green said. "... It was probably as good of news as we could receive." ... Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau played in his 1,616th NHL game to pass Larry Murphy for ninth on the NHL list. Scott Stevens is eighth with 1,635. ... Matthews scored 40 goals as a rookie and 34 last season.

What's next

Canucks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-A, NHL.TV)
Maple Leafs: Host the Nashville Predators on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, TVAS, SNO, FS-TN, NHL.TV)