Michael Hutchinson will make his Avalanche debut Monday, his 30th birthday, in Detroit in the finale of the three-game road trip.
“The guys have been very welcoming," Hutchinson told reporters. "Getting to know them, they've come up and introduced themselves when I first got traded. Getting a chance to be on the road and you're just with that group, it definitely makes the transition easier and you get to know the guys even better. It's been a fun road trip getting to know the guys and just feeling more comfortable."
The Avalanche acquired Hutchinson on Feb. 24 from Toronto for minor-league defenseman Calle Rosen as a depth goalie with Philipp Grubauer out with a lower-body injury.
Hutchinson had a 4-9-1 record with the Maple Leafs with one shutout, a 3.66 goals-against average and .886 save percentage.
Pavel Francouz, named the NHL’s third star of the preceding week, has started the past seven games, going 6-0-1 with six wins in a row. He has a 1.32 goals-against average and .957 save percentage in the winning streak.
Way to go, Frankie! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/nvXjFRO4Ua
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 2, 2020
The Avalanche have won a franchise record eight straight on the road with 3-2 wins in Carolina and Nashville in the first two games of this trip.
"It's exciting. There's obviously some nerves that go with it, but this has been a good group of guys," Hutchinson said. "It's been fun to watch them play the last couple games and try to get familiar with the way that they play from watching the game closely. I'm really looking forward to getting a start and getting a chance to battle with them."
Hutchinson made 29 saves in a 4-1 win against the Red Wings with Toronto on Dec. 21. He has a 2-1-1 career record against them with a 2.92 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.
Altitude's broadcast will be on Denver's KTVD channel 20.
The projected lineup:
FORWARDS Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin Matt Nieto -- J.T. Compher -- Joonas Donskoi Vladislav Namestnikov -- Tyson Jost -- Martin Kaut Vladislav Kamenev -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Logan O'Connor
DEFENSE Ryan Graves -- Cale Makar Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
GOALIES Michael Hutchinson Pavel Francouz