MacKenzie Blackwood Is Taking Control of Avalanche Starting Job
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The Colorado Avalanche are coming off recent home wins against the New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames by the same score of 5-2. Veteran goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood got the start in both games and put up great performances to help the team earn the victories.
Blackwood stopped 20 of 22 shots against the Devils and 25 of 27 shots against the Flames and was not heavily tested in either game. The stat sheet may say that the Flames were short of 30 shots on goal by three, but the veteran goalie did not face much stress in either home victory.
Knowing that the Avalanche and head coach Jared Bednar have backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood waiting to get some starts as well, Blackwood is earning the number one job. One of the two goaltenders needs to show Bednar and crew that they deserve the number one job.
As of lately, Blackwood has been that guy. In five of Blackwood's last six starts, the veteran has had a save percentage of .909 or better. Those numbers will help Colorado win games every single day of the week, and he is a big reason why the Avalanche are climbing the Central Division standings.
Wedgewood Gives Avalanche Valuable Stability Behind Blackwood
The Colorado Avalanche are one of those teams where they can rely on both goalies to win them games. They can comfortably throw either goaltender out there against either team and they can steal a game against almost anybody.
Blackwood may be the guy moving forward due to how well he has played recently, but the Avalanche cannot forget about Wedgewood. Wedgewood is also a veteran who has played in big games and can help Colorado win a game if Blackwood were to get injured or if Blackwood were to play poorly.
But obviously Bednar and staff are going to keep hoping that they can rely on both goaltenders, as the season is a long one and the calendar has only just turned to November. The season is 84 games before the playoffs start, and they need to keep both goaltenders fresh and ready to go.
Wedgewood is going to get an opportunity here soon as the Avalanche open this week with a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday. Wedgewood is going to get to go out there and show the staff that they had best not forget about him and how he can play just as well as his counterpart; now is his chance.
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Tyler Miller is a 26-year-old Sports Journalist who has had a passion for writing ever since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Journalism degree in 2022. Tyler has been writing about sports for going on 8 years now. Tyler has been a hockey fan for years and looks forward to covering the Colorado Avalanche for On SI. Tyler also has had experience writing for FanSided in the past where he was a site expert and a contributor across different sites.