Cole Hutson Quietly Helps Capitals Edge Florida
The Washington defenceman stays off the score sheet but ends the night on the right side of a one-goal win over the Panthers.
Cole Hutson did not show up in the scoring column, but the Capitals took a 4-3 win over Florida with him on the ice for more good than bad. He finished plus 1.
Hutson logged 16:18 over 23 shifts, seventh among the 18 Washington skaters and fourth among the team's six defencemen. That sits below his season average of 19.1 minutes a game.
All of his offence came at even strength: two shots on goal from five attempts. He also had one attempt on the power play, but it did not reach the net. He added one hit and one blocked shot, and took four penalty minutes.
For the season he has 4 goals and 5 assists in 15 games, so a pointless night is a modest step back from his usual contribution rather than a break from it. The win gave a Capitals team that had lost two straight a way out of the skid at 4-3.