The Colorado Avalanche needed a big showing from Mackinzie Blackwood after one of his most disappointing performances of the early season. They got it.
On Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, Blackwood showed up and proved why he is so valuable to the team.
Blackwood’s 24 saves on 26 attempts were important given his earlier Toronto outing. Colorado was able to leave the ice with a 3-2 win.
Tuesday’s game began a two-game home series against Dallas who is a Central Division rival, so taking the win and having the goaltender produce was good timing.
Blackwood hasn’t looked very impressive so far this season, and he is being noticed, not in a good way. - even by his head coach, Jared Bednar. Conversations were starting to swirl about his performances and whether he should continue to be the No. 1 starter.
Bednar Got Response He Wanted
Blackwood’s previous outing against the Maple Leafs left plenty of questions.
During that 6-3 loss, Blackwood gave up five goals on 22 shots. The second period was disturbing when Blackwood allowed the Maple Leafs to score three times on just four shots. That’s just inexcusable.
"He needs to give us a save. He needs to give us a save at some point there," Bednar said following the Toronto game.
Bednar had expressed a lot of confidence in his goaltender after training camp and prior to the beginning of the regular season. So, for him to point out his disappointment was noticeable. Blackwood wasn’t producing in pressure situations, something that is required if this team has Stanley Cup aspirations.
Rather than letting that criticism get him down, Blackwood went to work and returned with his strongest performance of the season.
Bednar wasn’t hesitant to praise the effort.
"He had a great night. Probably his best performance of the year,” Bednar said following the game.
Blackwood Came Through for Colorado
Colorado didn’t get off to the start everyone expects to see of them. They didn’t have good control of the puck and continued to rely on Blackwood.
The Stars kept producing dangerous opportunities that made Blackwood take a lot of heat and make several saves before the Avalanche settled in and took control.
In the opening period Blackwood fended off Tyler Seguin and Colin Blackwell, but his biggest moment came during the second period.
After a turnover by Sam Malinski, Dallas forward Sam Steel found himself with an excellent scoring chance.
Blackwood didn’t blink.
That was exactly the response Bednar was looking for that he didn’t get during the Toronto game.
Colorado had some defensive breakdowns and when the Stars took advantage, Blackwood stepped up and covered for their mistakes.
Martin Necas came through for the Avalanche the entire game, but particularly in the second period. He scored twice bringing the score to a 3-1. Dallas didn’t seem deterred and just kept at it after Colorado.
Roope Hintz scored early in the third period which narrowed the lead to one, but Colorado held on.
Dallas only got three shots in the final period, even after pulling their goaltender.
Questions Still Remain
No one should be overly confident here. Just because Blackwood had one strong game doesn't mean it answers all of the questions. Hopefully, it will take a little pressure off, and he can settle in for the season.
On the other hand, Scott Wedgewood proved his worth last season when he finished with a 31-6-6 record, a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Those numbers give Colorado another option if Blackwood should continue to struggle, and one they shouldn’t shy away from if needed.
On Tuesday, Blackwood proved why he deserves the opportunity. His size, athletic ability and experience brings a lot to the table for Colorado. He has the ability to change the pace and direction of a game.
The challenge so far is getting him to produce those results consistently.
Colorado will take on Dallas again Wednesday evening at Ball Arena. This time, it will be Wedgewood as the starting goaltender. Colorado is taking advantage of playing the same team twice in two days by showcasing both goaltenders. This will give the organization a chance to evaluate both players under the same circumstances.
With the close game on Tuesday, Dallas will be looking for a win. Wedgewood is making just his second start of the season, but if he performs like he did last year, this won’t be an issue.
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