DALLAS — Health. Confidence. A change of scenery.
MacKenzie Blackwood needed all three of those things by the time his five years were done in New Jersey.
In many ways, while it felt like a low point in his career, the Devils dealing his rights to San Jose in the summer of 2023 was the fresh start the netminder needed.
Advertisement
While playing goal for a last-place team gutting its roster in a major rebuild may not sound that appealing, Blackwood rebuilt his game in San Jose, which eventually piqued the attention of the Avalanche this season. It’s hard to imagine where the Avs would be now without making that Dec. 9 trade with the Sharks.
But that trade never happens without the 28-year-old goalie first finding his footing again in San Jose.
“He was great for us,’’ Evgeni Nabokov, director of goaltending for the Sharks, told The Athletic via text message Saturday night. “He is everything you want to have in an NHL goalie: size, technique, explosive, reads the game well. Him and (Sharks goalie) Thomas Speer had a great chemistry. And he’s a great teammate.’’
Asked what the Sharks tweaked in Blackwood’s technical game, Nabokov responded: “Nothing dramatic, some small changes. Corrections from game to game.’’
Just being healthy was huge. His last two years in New Jersey were injury plagued, limited to 25 games in 2021-22 and 22 games in 2022-23.
He started this season on the rebuilding Sharks posting a .911 save percentage in 19 games, and it was enough to convince Avs GM Chris MacFarland not only to trade for the 28-year-old on Dec. 9, but to extend the pending UFA just five games into his Avalanche career to a five-year contract paying him a $5.25 million AAV per season.
It was wild in so many ways that the Avalanche felt comfortable enough signing him just 18 days after acquiring him (although the Avs’ front office had long done its homework on him before the trade). On the flip side, getting traded mid-season can be unsettling for a player, but obviously Blackwood felt comfortable enough in his new surroundings to sign on the dotted line rather quickly, too.
“Yeah, I mean, came to Colorado, good team, good people, felt it right away and they offered me a great contract. So I mean it seemed like the perfect storm,’’ Blackwood said Saturday night, smiling after backstopping the Avs to a 5-1 win in Game 1.
Advertisement
Seven years into his NHL career, 10 years after he was drafted 42nd overall by the Devils, Blackwood appeared in his first NHL playoff game Saturday. And boy did he make it count. He was outstanding and certainly didn’t look like a guy playing in his first NHL playoff game.
“It was pretty special,’’ Blackwood said. “You know, I’ve been waiting to play in the playoffs for a long time, and it was great to finally get my first one.”
Par for the course since Blackwood got to Colorado.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s incredible,’’ superstar Avs blueliner Cale Makar said postgame Saturday night. “When you have a guy like that back there that gives you that confidence, he’s very calm in the net, so you know if you do something or make a mistake, he’s going to be there. And he definitely showed up tonight. Hopefully he can continue to do it because he’s a huge piece of our team, and a great guy and a great player.’’
Spend five minutes in the Avalanche dressing room and this much is clear: The players in there appreciate that their front office traded for both Blackwood as well as veteran goalie Scott Wedgwood in-season.
I mean, how often does a team swap out both their goalies in-season? Not to mention the fact the Avs revamped so much of their roster in general this season.
“For us, the two moves that were probably the ones that we weren’t really thinking about or focused on going into the year was the goaltending moves,’’ MacFarland told me on March 8. “To make two trades on that front certainly wasn’t planned or contemplated in training camp.’’
But when Alexandar Georgiev stumbled out of the gates (.874 save percentage in 18 games with Colorado this season) and couldn’t seem to recover, MacFarland didn’t hesitate. Why? Because Colorado’s window to win won’t be forever. They won the Cup three years ago and have to keep taking swings until that window closes on them.
Advertisement
Again, where would the Avs be now without both goalies trades?
“I mean, I’m happy we did, you know?,’’ Avs superstar center Nathan MacKinnon said postgame Saturday night. “We have two No. 1s, I think, and obviously MacKenzie had a great night. He’s got to stay locked in and get ready for Game 2.’’
Added the Avs’ Charlie Coyle: “Enough can’t be said about the saves that he made tonight. He was awesome. Every time we needed a big save, he was there to keep us tied, keep us ahead. Every step of the way it was, they got a chance, we had a little breakdown, and he shut the door. You need that in playoff time to win these tight games. It’s a game of inches and he earned it. And, yeah, enough can’t be said about the game that he’s played tonight.’’
The Avs appreciate the goalie but also the person in Blackwood.
“Very outgoing, just cheerful, always in a good mood, great teammate,” said MacKinnon. “When you love your goalie, you want to play hard for them, block shots for them. When he’s locked in like that, he’s so hard to beat. He’s so big and so athletic.’’
The 6-4 Blackwood tried to approach his first career playoff game without overthinking it.
“Yeah, I mean, the way I approached the game today was the same, obviously a little bit more intensity, you could feel it around the rink,’’ said the native of Thunder Bay, Ont. “But I mean, you have to go to the same job. I don’t want to change things about my game. You know I know what I have to do to have that success. So try to just approach it like a big game and, you know, go do the best I could.”
It’s early days in these Stanley Cup playoffs to be sure. But if this turns into a deep playoff run for the Avalanche with Blackwood shining in net, you know who else will be paying attention? Doug Armstrong and Jon Cooper and the rest of the Team Canada Olympic brain trust, that’s who. Armstrong, Team Canada’s Olympic GM, talks often about how important the Stanley Cup playoffs are on a player’s resume and a chance to improve one’s stock. Blackwood has a chance this spring to force his way into the Olympic conversation.
For now, he’s enjoying finally having got a taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
(Photo: Raymond Carlin III / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Slovenský tvrďák si žije svůj sen. V UFC válí, teď může raketově vystřelit
Z pohledu Kleina se skutečně jedná o jedinečnou šanci. Při jedenáctém klání (7 výher, 2 porážky a 1 remíza) za oceánem může v případě triumfu nakouknout mezi naprosto světovou elitu, neboť doposud ani jednou nefiguroval mezi patnáctkou nejlepších v lehké váze (70 kg). Souboj s polským protivníkem to konečně může změnit.Cítíte úlevu, že byl váš zápas proti Gamrotovi konečně oznámen i ze strany UFC?Mám velkou radost. My jsme o tom samozřejmě věděli, ale bylo to takové, že to ještě nebylo ze soupeřovy strany oficiálně podepsané. Tolik jsem nevěřil tomu, že Mateusz se mnou vezme zápas, protože mu to podle mého nedává až takový smysl. Nikam ho to neposune. Já jsem ale samozřejmě doufal, že se to stane, a přál jsem si, aby to přijal a podepsal. Jen jsem tomu nedával až takové šance.Jaké jste zaznamenal reakcí okolí?Čekal jsem, že mě všichni budou odepisovat a budou říkat, že zápas nedává žádný smysl a Gamrot mě jednoznačně […]
No edge rushers for Lions on NFL Draft Day 2 as Brad Holmes sticks to his plan
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions war room were spotted wearing hoodies that read “HWS” — height, weight, speed — crossed out. The Lions typically coordinate their apparel during draft weekend. They’ve worn “positional villain” hoodies. They’ve collectively worn Dan Campbell jerseys, perhaps an ode to drafting Dan Campbell guys. So when Holmes emerged Friday at the end of night two, he explained the latest draft-related message.Advertisement“Height, weight, speed — it is the opposite of film evaluation, and we’re all about film evaluation,” Holmes said. “That’s the hard part of scouting. Height, weight, speed is easy. Stats are easy. A position listed is easy. But film evaluation is hard to figure out.”The Lions believe in film. They believe it doesn’t lie. The film told them that Georgia guard Tate Ratledge and Arkansas wide reciever Isaac TeSlaa […]
With Game 3 win, Devils show resolve that could benefit them long beyond the playoffs
NEWARK, N.J. — Friday night’s double-overtime victory doesn’t mean the New Jersey Devils will win this series. It doesn’t even mean they’ll reach Game 6. They are still the heavy underdogs and trailing 2-1 against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is healthier and has more recent playoff success. Not many people would bat an eye if Carolina won the next two games and sent the Devils home for the summer.AdvertisementBut that doesn’t change the importance of New Jersey’s Game 3 win. It’s the type of game that will stick with players on the roster, from overtime hero Simon Nemec — a healthy scratch earlier this series — to Jonas Siegenthaler, who played his first game since February, to young players like Paul Cotter and Cody Glass, who took their first-ever playoff overtime shifts.It’s the type of win that builds the […]
Anthony Edwards is two wins from adding LeBron James and Luka Dončić to his collection of playoff victims
Getty Images In hindsight, it's a bit surprising how comfortably Anthony Edwards deferred to the NBA's elder statesmen at the Olympics.The brashest player in the NBA happily came off of the bench as Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant led Team USA to gold. Never mind that he'd just swept Durant out of the playoffs. He played only 13 minutes when Team USA overcame Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals. Maybe the game wouldn't have been so close if Edwards had seen more minutes. After all, he'd just beaten Jokić in the playoffs too.That Olympic tournament set up what essentially became the narrative of professional basketball for the next year. It was supposed to be one last ride for a legendary generation of American players, one that would set Edwards and his generational cohort up to take the […]
Erst Mähne, jetzt Glatze! – Erling Haaland mit komplett neuem Look
Nanu, was ist denn da passiert?Manchester City-Star Erling Haaland (24) überrascht seine Fans mit einem ganz neuen Look. Während seiner Verletzungspause teilt er ein Bild auf Snapchat, auf dem seine langen blonden Haare nicht zu sehen sind. Stattdessen zeigt sich der Norweger plötzlich mit einer Glatze.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Torjäger hat seit seiner Knöchelverletzung, die er sich beim FA-Cup-Viertelfinalsieg gegen Bournemouth Ende März zugezogen hat, nicht mehr gespielt. Nun teilt Haaland Einblicke in seine Genesung.Auf dem Trainingsgelände der Skyblues gibt er seinen Anhängern Einblicke in verschiedene Fitnessstudio-Sitzungen, die Thermotherapie oder die physiotherapeutischen Behandlungen. Auch auf den Videos zu sehen sind Nathan Aké (30), Kevin de Bruyne (33) und Oscar Bobb (21). In diesen Videos zeigt er dann auch die Glatze.Aber Haaland löst das Rätsel um seine neue Frisur schnell auf ...Der 24-Jährige verrät, dass er einen Haarentfernungsfilter bei Snapchat benutzt hat […]
Hall four strokes off lead as Korda makes the cut at Chevron Championship
England's Georgia Hall is just four strokes off the lead while Nelly Korda moved inside the cut after two rounds of the Chevron Championship.Hall followed her opening 69 with a 72 to sit four strokes off the lead, but Charley Hull dropped to four-over par, one behind Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh. The cut is projected to come at two-over with nine players still to finish their second rounds after thick fog delayed the start of play. Twitter This content is provided by Twitter, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable […]
Related
Slovenský tvrďák si žije svůj sen. V UFC válí, teď může raketově vystřelit
Z pohledu Kleina se skutečně jedná o jedinečnou šanci. Při jedenáctém klání (7 výher, 2 porážky a 1 remíza) za oceánem může v případě triumfu nakouknout mezi naprosto světovou elitu, neboť doposud ani jednou nefiguroval mezi patnáctkou nejlepších v lehké váze (70 kg). Souboj s polským protivníkem to konečně může změnit.Cítíte úlevu, že byl váš zápas proti Gamrotovi konečně oznámen i ze strany UFC?Mám velkou radost. My jsme o tom samozřejmě věděli, ale bylo to takové, že to ještě nebylo ze soupeřovy strany oficiálně podepsané. Tolik jsem nevěřil tomu, že Mateusz se mnou vezme zápas, protože mu to podle mého nedává až takový smysl. Nikam ho to neposune. Já jsem ale samozřejmě doufal, že se to stane, a přál jsem si, aby to přijal a podepsal. Jen jsem tomu nedával až takové šance.Jaké jste zaznamenal reakcí okolí?Čekal jsem, že mě všichni budou odepisovat a budou říkat, že zápas nedává žádný smysl a Gamrot mě jednoznačně […]
No edge rushers for Lions on NFL Draft Day 2 as Brad Holmes sticks to his plan
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions war room were spotted wearing hoodies that read “HWS” — height, weight, speed — crossed out. The Lions typically coordinate their apparel during draft weekend. They’ve worn “positional villain” hoodies. They’ve collectively worn Dan Campbell jerseys, perhaps an ode to drafting Dan Campbell guys. So when Holmes emerged Friday at the end of night two, he explained the latest draft-related message.Advertisement“Height, weight, speed — it is the opposite of film evaluation, and we’re all about film evaluation,” Holmes said. “That’s the hard part of scouting. Height, weight, speed is easy. Stats are easy. A position listed is easy. But film evaluation is hard to figure out.”The Lions believe in film. They believe it doesn’t lie. The film told them that Georgia guard Tate Ratledge and Arkansas wide reciever Isaac TeSlaa […]
With Game 3 win, Devils show resolve that could benefit them long beyond the playoffs
NEWARK, N.J. — Friday night’s double-overtime victory doesn’t mean the New Jersey Devils will win this series. It doesn’t even mean they’ll reach Game 6. They are still the heavy underdogs and trailing 2-1 against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is healthier and has more recent playoff success. Not many people would bat an eye if Carolina won the next two games and sent the Devils home for the summer.AdvertisementBut that doesn’t change the importance of New Jersey’s Game 3 win. It’s the type of game that will stick with players on the roster, from overtime hero Simon Nemec — a healthy scratch earlier this series — to Jonas Siegenthaler, who played his first game since February, to young players like Paul Cotter and Cody Glass, who took their first-ever playoff overtime shifts.It’s the type of win that builds the […]
Anthony Edwards is two wins from adding LeBron James and Luka Dončić to his collection of playoff victims
Getty Images In hindsight, it's a bit surprising how comfortably Anthony Edwards deferred to the NBA's elder statesmen at the Olympics.The brashest player in the NBA happily came off of the bench as Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant led Team USA to gold. Never mind that he'd just swept Durant out of the playoffs. He played only 13 minutes when Team USA overcame Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals. Maybe the game wouldn't have been so close if Edwards had seen more minutes. After all, he'd just beaten Jokić in the playoffs too.That Olympic tournament set up what essentially became the narrative of professional basketball for the next year. It was supposed to be one last ride for a legendary generation of American players, one that would set Edwards and his generational cohort up to take the […]
Erst Mähne, jetzt Glatze! – Erling Haaland mit komplett neuem Look
Nanu, was ist denn da passiert?Manchester City-Star Erling Haaland (24) überrascht seine Fans mit einem ganz neuen Look. Während seiner Verletzungspause teilt er ein Bild auf Snapchat, auf dem seine langen blonden Haare nicht zu sehen sind. Stattdessen zeigt sich der Norweger plötzlich mit einer Glatze.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Torjäger hat seit seiner Knöchelverletzung, die er sich beim FA-Cup-Viertelfinalsieg gegen Bournemouth Ende März zugezogen hat, nicht mehr gespielt. Nun teilt Haaland Einblicke in seine Genesung.Auf dem Trainingsgelände der Skyblues gibt er seinen Anhängern Einblicke in verschiedene Fitnessstudio-Sitzungen, die Thermotherapie oder die physiotherapeutischen Behandlungen. Auch auf den Videos zu sehen sind Nathan Aké (30), Kevin de Bruyne (33) und Oscar Bobb (21). In diesen Videos zeigt er dann auch die Glatze.Aber Haaland löst das Rätsel um seine neue Frisur schnell auf ...Der 24-Jährige verrät, dass er einen Haarentfernungsfilter bei Snapchat benutzt hat […]
Hall four strokes off lead as Korda makes the cut at Chevron Championship
England's Georgia Hall is just four strokes off the lead while Nelly Korda moved inside the cut after two rounds of the Chevron Championship.Hall followed her opening 69 with a 72 to sit four strokes off the lead, but Charley Hull dropped to four-over par, one behind Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh. The cut is projected to come at two-over with nine players still to finish their second rounds after thick fog delayed the start of play. Twitter This content is provided by Twitter, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable […]
Be the first to leave a comment