Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Expected to face Toronto
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Blackwood is slated to start on the road against Toronto on Wednesday, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.
Blackwood has a 24-16-6 record, 2.50 GAA and .914 save percentage in 47 appearances between San Jose and Colorado in 2024-25. He stopped 22 of 23 shots en route to a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota in his last start March 11. Toronto ranks ninth in goals per game with 3.21.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Set for backup duties
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Blackwood (illness) took the ice for warmups ahead of Friday's game versus the Flames, indicating he'll dress as the backup goalie.
Scott Wedgewood will start Friday's contest. Blackwood wasn't feeling well early in the day, but he's improved enough to be available in a pinch. The 28-year-old netminder will probably be able to start Sunday in a big Central Division showdown versus the Stars.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Battling illness
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Blackwood is dealing with an illness Friday, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Scott Wedgewood will start Friday in Calgary because Blackwood isn't 100 percent. What remains to be seen is if Blackwood will still dress as the backup netminder. The Avalanche have only two goaltenders on their roster, so they would have to recall a goaltender or use an emergency netminder if Blackwood is ultimately unavailable. The 28-year-old Blackwood has a 24-16-6 record, 2.50 GAA and .914 save percentage in 47 appearances between San Jose and Colorado this season.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Foiled in shootout
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Blackwood made 22 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.
It was a tight contest, but Blackwood was beaten by Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy in the shootout to seal the win for the Wild men. He has been excellent in Mile High since his arrival. Blackwood is 18-7-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 27 starts, and he's 7-2-1 with one shutout in his last 10 starts.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: In goal Tuesday
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Blackwood will start on the road versus the Wild on Tuesday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Blackwood has won his last four starts, giving up 10 goals on 98 shots in that span. The Wild have scored just 10 goals over their last six games, so even with the Avalanche on the second half of a back-to-back, Blackwood has a favorable matchup.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Wins shinny game over Leafs
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Blackwood made 17 saves in a 7-4 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Since his arrival in Mile High, Blackwood is 18-7-2 with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage. However, a game of shinny broke out Saturday, and nothing was easy for him or Anthony Stolarz. Blackwood has won four straight games, and with the deadline deals to amp up the team's offense, the netminder may have an easy ride the rest of the way.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Set to face Toronto
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Blackwood will patrol the home blue paint Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, according to Mark Masters of TSN.
Blackwood won his third straight game against the Sharks on Thursday -- he has a .922 save percentage and a 2.00 GAA during his winning streak. Toronto has produced 3.19 goals per game this season, which ranks 10th in the league. The Leafs have lost back-to-back games, while the Avalanche have won four straight.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: No trouble from old teammates
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Blackwood stopped 31 of 34 shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Sharks.
Two of the goals against were in the third period after the Avalanche were already well in control of the contest. This was Blackwood's fifth win in his last six outings, a span in which he's allowed 15 goals. The 28-year-old netminder is up to 23-16-5 with a 2.50 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 45 appearances this season. The Avalanche have a much tougher challenge for their next game when they host the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Facing former club Thursday
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Blackwood will tend the twine at home versus San Jose on Thursday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Blackwood started the season with the Sharks, going 6-9-3 with a 3.00 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 19 outings. Since his move to Colorado, the 28-year-old Ontario native has posted career-best numbers in both GAA (2.12) and save percentage (.921).
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Light workload in win
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Blackwood stopped 18 of 20 shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Wild.
Blackwood was lightly tested in the win, his fourth in his last five outings. Over that span, he's allowed 12 goals, and he hasn't faced more than 29 shots in any of those games as the Avalanche's defense has stepped up to keep pucks from getting to the net. The 28-year-old is up to 22-16-5 with a 2.49 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 44 appearances. The Avalanche's next game is Tuesday versus the Penguins, followed by Thursday's game against the Sharks and a Saturday showdown with the Maple Leafs. If Blackwood continues to see a large share of the starts, he'll be a strong play in weekly leagues for the week ahead.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Playing in goal Friday
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Blackwood will protect the home goal versus the Wild on Friday.
Blackwood has gone 4-2-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .924 save percentage over six games in February. He'll look to keep things rolling in a somewhat favorable matchup, as the Wild are on the second half of a back-to-back. The Wild are 1-2-0 with seven goals scored over three games since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Strong in win against former team
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Blackwood stopped 22 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.
Blackwood allowed just one goal on 67 shots across two matchups against the Devils this season. The 28-year-old had to play well early in this contest, which was close until the Avalanche ran away with the lead late in the third period. Blackwood improved to 21-16-5 with a 2.50 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 43 appearances this season. The Avalanche are in action Friday at home versus the Wild in a game that has significant weight in the Central Division standings.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Set to face New Jersey
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Blackwood is expected to start at home against the Devils on Wednesday, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Blackwood has a 20-16-5 record, 2.54 GAA and .915 save percentage in 42 appearances between San Jose and Colorado in 2024-25. He's coming off a rough start in which he allowed three goals on 25 shots en route to a 3-1 loss to St. Louis on Sunday. Blackwood started his NHL career with the Devils and played for them through the 2022-23 campaign. He started against his former team Nov. 10 and earned a 44-save shutout versus New Jersey.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Gives up three goals Sunday
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Blackwood stopped 22 of 25 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Blues.
Blackwood gave up three unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes of the second period, and that was a hole the Avalanche couldn't get out of. Blackwood played well before the break, winning four of his previous five starts while posting a pristine 1.62 GAA in that span, and he'll aim to bounce back in his next start, presumably against the Devils on Wednesday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting against St. Louis
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Blackwood will start Sunday's road game against the Blues, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Blackwood didn't play in Saturday's loss to Nashville as the Avalanche resumed play, but he'll tend the twine in the second half of the back-to-back set. He was productive in his five starts leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, as he went 4-1-0 with a 1.62 GAA and a .938 save percentage.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Reaches 20-win mark
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Blackwood stopped 23 of 27 shots in Friday's 5-4 win over the Oilers.
Blackwood played back-to-back games in Alberta, and came away with wins in both. This was a challenging matchup, as expected, but Blackwood held firm in the third period and made Martin Necas' tally with 4:22 left in the frame stand as the game-winner. The 28-year-old Blackwood goes into the 4 Nations Face-Off break a winner in five of his last seven starts, improving to 20-15-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 41 appearances. He won't be on international duty during the break, so he'll have two weeks to rest up before the season resumes with a back-to-back on the road -- the Avalanche visit Nashville on Feb. 22 and St. Louis on Feb. 23.
Blackwood will start on the road versus the Oilers on Friday, Conor McGahey of Altitude TV reports.
Blackwood will start both halves of a back-to-back, as the Avalanche apparently don't want Trent Miner facing the Oilers with Scott Wedgewood (upper body) still ailing. Blackwood made 27 saves on 29 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Flames. The 28-year-old has won four of his last six starts with just 12 goals allowed in that span, though the Oilers' offense is always good to produce a challenge, especially in the second half of a back-to-back.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Holds firm for win
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Blackwood stopped 27 of 29 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Flames.
Blackwood picked up his fourth win in his last six outings, bouncing back from being on the wrong side of a shutout Tuesday in Vancouver. The Avalanche's three-goal second period gave him all the support he needed. The 28-year-old improved to 19-15-5 with a 2.49 GAA and a .917 save percentage through 40 contests overall. The Avalanche are back in action Friday against the Oilers, and it's not yet clear who will start in goal for that game.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Slated to start against Calgary
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Blackwood was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Conor McGahey of Altitude TV reports, indicating that he'll draw the start on the road against Calgary.
Blackwood will draw a sixth consecutive start Thursday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a night off in Edmonton on Friday since it's the second half of a back-to-back set. Blackwood has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .927 save percentage over his last five starts, a span that includes a pair of shutout wins. The Flames are a favorable opponent, as they're averaging 2.66 goals this season, which is the fifth-worst mark in the NHL.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Loses to Canucks
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Blackwood allowed two goals on 30 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Canucks. The third goal was an empty-netter.
For the third game in a row, the Avalanche were involved in a shutout, but this was the first time in that stretch it wasn't in their favor. Blackwood still put in a decent performance but didn't get any scoring support. He's won three of his last five outings while allowing 10 goals in that span. For the season, he's 18-15-5 with a 2.50 GAA and a .917 save percentage through 39 appearances. Blackwood will likely start once more before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, either in Calgary on Thursday or in Edmonton on Friday.
