Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: OT loss in season debut
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Blackwood turned aside 20 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks.
Making his season debut after recovering from a lower-body injury, Blackwood had little chance on either of the pucks that got past him in regulation, before Philipp Kurashev beat him for the second time by going high glove side in OT. The 28-year-old should take back the No. 1 job in the crease for the Avs quickly enough, but Scott Wedgewood's solid start to the season could allow the team to ease Blackwood back into action in the short term.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Expected starter for Saturday
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Blackwood is slated to start in San Jose on Saturday, per Conor McGahey of Altitude TV on Friday.
Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Vegas on Friday, so it makes sense for Blackwood to handle the second half of the back-to-back. The 28-year-old Blackwood hasn't played between the pipes for Colorado yet this season because of a lower-body injury, but he served as the backup goaltender for Tuesday's 8-4 win over New Jersey and is set to be the understudy again Friday. Blackwood had a 28-21-6 record, 2.55 GAA and .912 save percentage in 56 regular-season appearances between San Jose and Colorado last year. He did well when facing his former team in 2024-25, posting a 2-0-0 record, 2.51 GAA and .926 save percentage in his two starts against the Sharks.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Back in lineup Tuesday
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Blackwood (lower body) will be the backup behind Scott Wedgewood in Tuesday's home game against New Jersey, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.
Following a 10-game absence to begin the season, Blackwood will return to the lineup and should be back between the pipes soon. He was excellent for the Avalanche last year and could wrestle the No. 1 job away from Wedgewood after getting back into a rhythm.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Won't travel for Tuesday's game
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Blackwood (lower body) won't travel with the Avalanche ahead of Tuesday's game in Utah but is getting closer to returning, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports Monday.
Blackwood has missed the start of the regular season due to a lower-body injury, but he recently completed a conditioning loan at AHL Colorado. He'll miss at least one more game due to the issue, and although he's considered close to returning, it's not yet clear when he'll be officially available to make his season debut.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Conditioning loan over
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Blackwood's conditioning loan at AHL Colorado ended Friday.
It appears the Avalanche opted to have Blackwood practice in the minors, but they'll keep him out of game action for now. A timeline for his return to action has yet to be revealed.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Sent to AHL for conditioning
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Blackwood was assigned to AHL Colorado on Monday for a conditioning loan.
Blackwood could be in the minors for 14 consecutive days to get back up to game speed. He will miss his fourth straight game against Buffalo on Monday, but he is progressing toward a return to the lineup. Scott Wedgewood has been occupying the No. 1 role for the Avalanche during Blackwood's absence.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Status uncertain for road trip
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Blackwood (lower body) practiced Friday, but his status for the Avalanche's two-game road trip next week is yet to be determined, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
This is a backdoor way of saying Blackwood won't be ready to suit up Saturday versus the Stars. He could also miss games Monday in Buffalo and Thursday in Columbus, but that has not been decided. Head coach Jared Bednar also indicated a conditioning stint could be possible to help Blackwood get up to speed. At this point, expect Scott Wedgewood to continue seeing significant playing time until Blackwood is cleared to return.
Blackwood (lower body) isn't available for Thursday's home game against Utah.
Blackwood also missed Colorado's season opener Tuesday due to the injury. His next opportunity to play is Saturday versus Dallas. Blackwood is expected to reclaim his role as Colorado's No. 1 netminder once he's healthy, but in the meantime, the Avalanche are likely to lean on Scott Wedgewood.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Not traveling Tuesday
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Blackwood (lower body) will not make the trip for Tuesday's season opener against the Kings, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Blackwood was expected to enter the season as the No. 1 option for the Avalanche, but instead, he will have to watch Scott Wedgewood take the Opening Night start. In his 56 regular-season games for the Sharks and Avs last year, the 28-year-old Blackwood went 28-21-6 with a .912 save percentage and 2.55 GAA. Once given the all-clear, Blackwood figures to see the bulk of the goalie starts this season.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Progressing, may miss opener
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Blackwood (lower body) is progressing, but he could be unavailable for Opening Night on Oct. 7 against the Kings, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette on Tuesday.
Blackwood has been skating and faced shots during Tuesday's on-ice session. However, he remains week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. If Blackwood isn't ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign, Scott Wedgewood and Trent Miner could be Colorado's top two netminders.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Considered week-to-week
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Head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday that Blackwood (lower body) is considered week-to-week, Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports reports.
Although Blackwood's injury is considered to be more serious than a day-to-day concern, Bednar indicated that he expects the netminder to be healthy near the beginning of the regular season. It seems likely that Blackwood will be forced to miss some time during the preseason, which should allow Scott Wedgewood to see additional time in the crease.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Battling injury before camp
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Blackwood has not taken shots during the Avalanche's informal skates and appears to be bothered by a lower-body injury, Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High reports Friday.
The Avalanche haven't revealed any information, but an update may come next week when training camp officially opens. Blackwood being hurt would be a serious dent in the team's goaltending depth, but if it's a minor issue, he has plenty of time to be ready for the start of the regular season.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Falters in Game 7
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Blackwood stopped 15 of 18 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Stars in Game 7. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
The Avalanche went ahead 2-0 early in the third period, but Blackwood couldn't make the lead last. It wasn't all his fault -- two of the three goals he allowed came on Dallas power plays, including Wyatt Johnston's game-winner with 3:56 left in the contest. Blackwood wasn't at his best in a tough first-round matchup, going 3-4 with a 2.71 GAA and an .892 save percentage over seven games. He signed a five-year extension with the Avalanche in December, so he'll be the team's primary netminder heading into 2025-26.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Extends series with win
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Blackwood stopped 22 of 26 shots in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Stars in Game 6.
Blackwood gave up all four goals in the second period, but the Avalanche replied with four of their own in the third. This win allowed the series to go the distance, and there's no doubt Blackwood will be in goal for Game 7 on Saturday. He's gone 3-3 with 16 goals allowed over the first six playoff contests.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Between pipes Thursday
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Blackwood will guard the cage at home against the Stars in Game 6 on Thursday, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Blackwood will be back in the crease after getting the hook in Game 5. In that shortened outing, the 28-year-old backstop gave up five goals on 18 shots (.722 save percentage). In his last eight outings, the Thunder Bay native is sporting a 2-6-0 record to go with a 3.02 GAA -- so it's a little surprising that the Avs aren't a least giving Scott Wedgewood a look.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Gets hook in Game 5
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Blackwood gave up five goals on 18 shots Monday before being replaced by Scott Wedgewood to begin the third period of the Avalanche's 6-2 loss to the Stars in Game 5 of their first-round series.
After shutting out Dallas in Game 4, the 28-year-old netminder crashed back to earth in Game 5, starting with a Wyatt Johnston tally just nine seconds into the game that banked in off Blackwood on a shot from below the red line -- setting a new Stars franchise record for the quickest goal to begin a playoff contest in the process. Despite the stumble, Blackwood sports a 2.38 GAA and a .909 save percentage through five outings this postseason, and he'll likely be back between the pipes for Game 6 on Thursday as the Avs look to avoid elimination.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting in Dallas
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Blackwood will guard the road goal against the Stars on Monday in Game 5, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.
Blackwood stopped 23 shots in Saturday's 4-0 win over Dallas to earn his first NHL playoff shutout. He has a 2-2 record with a 1.60 GAA and a league-leading .939 save percentage this postseason. Dallas sits seventh in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 28.5 shots per game.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Earns shutout in Game 4 win
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Blackwood posted a 23-save shutout in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
The Avalanche played a superb game, making Blackwood's job fairly easy. It took him just four playoff appearances to earn his first shutout in postseason play. The 28-year-old has given up seven goals on 114 shots over four games in the first round, so he's arguably unlucky to be 2-2 in those contests, though both losses have come past regulation time. Blackwood will undoubtedly get the nod again for a pivotal Game 5 in Dallas on Monday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Slated to start Saturday
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Blackwood is expected to start Saturday's home matchup against Dallas in Game 4, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Blackwood has lost his last two outings in overtime but stopped 61 of 67 shots. He has a 1-2 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .923 save percentage through three games this postseason. Dallas ranks third in the playoffs with 30.3 shots per game.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Loses in overtime again
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Blackwood stopped 26 of 28 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3.
Blackwood put in a good effort, but Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were able to get the better of him to put the Stars ahead 2-1 in the series. Blackwood has allowed seven goals on 91 shots, so he's played well and just hasn't gotten the results to go his way in the last two contests. The Avalanche trust the 28-year-old to handle a starting role, so expect him back between the pipes for Saturday's Game 4 at home.
