Blackwood allowed two goals on 26 shots in Friday's 5-2 preseason win over the Jets.
Blackwood played the full game Friday after working half a game versus the Mammoth on Sunday. The 29-year-old netminder will likely get at least half of the starts in 2026-27, though a lot will depend on how Scott Wedgewood performs after his career year in 2025-26. Blackwood has the talent to be a No. 1 on his own, but the Avalanche have the luxury of not needing to push either goalie too hard.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: In goal Friday
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Blackwood will get the starting nod at home versus Winnipeg on Friday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.
Blackwood appears to have the inside track for the No. 1 job in Colorado, though he will likely have to split the workload with Scott Wedgewood. With the 29-year-old Blackwood getting the nod Friday, it will likely be Wedgewood who starts versus Utah on the road Saturday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Limited workload in Sunday's preseason game
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Blackwood stopped all seven shots he faced in 29:30 of ice time during Sunday's 4-1 preseason win over Utah.
Blackwood didn't have to do much in Sunday's exhibition opener, but he was perfect nonetheless. It was a good start for Blackwood, who is competing with Scott Wedgewood for the starting job ahead of the 2026-27 season. Regardless of who sees more starts this year, both Blackwood and Wedgewood are great fantasy options on a Colorado team that is expected to be one of the best in the NHL once again.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting in preseason opener
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Blackwood will be between the home pipes during Sunday's exhibition matchup against the Mammoth, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
The Avalanche have one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL, so Blackwood will certainly have competition for the No. 1 gig in the form of Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood is coming off a career-best season, but it was reported Wednesday that Blackwood arrived at training camp in the best shape of his life, so head coach Jared Bednar has a good problem on his hands as far who will be in net on a nightly basis this season. Either way, Blackwood will be a strong fantasy option on one of the league's top teams.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Fit ahead of training camp
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Blackwood arrived at training camp in the best shape of his life, according to head coach Jared Bednar, and will have the chance to earn the starting job, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports Wednesday.
When asked if he planned to rotate his goaltenders again, Bednar told reporters they'd enter the season with a clean slate. The 29-year-old Blackwood played in only 38 regular-season tilts, but he posted a solid 23-10-2 record with a 2.50 GAA and three shutouts. The door appears to be open for Blackwood to earn the No. 1 job back from Scott Wedgewood this year, and in an ideal scenario, Bednar seems to be looking for that result.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Can't save season
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Blackwood stopped 24 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
Blackwood put in a good performance, but the Avalanche's offense didn't give enough support in the season-ending loss. Blackwood ended up allowing eight goals on 73 shots over four playoff outings while most often playing second fiddle to Scott Wedgewood. Both goalies are under contract for next year, which may lead to a tandem approach in the Colorado crease once again if they play at a level similar to the one they displayed in 2025-26.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Set to start Game 4
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Blackwood is expected to defend the road net against Vegas on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Blackwood made three appearances in Colorado's second-round series against Minnesota, surrendering six goals on 47 shots en route to a 1-0 record. Scott Wedgewood has struggled in three playoff defeats versus Vegas, allowing nine goals on 73 shots. As a result, the Avalanche will turn to Blackwood in an attempt to stave off elimination and force Game 5 back in Colorado on Thursday. The Golden Knights have amassed 3.73 goals per game this postseason.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Pulled after one period
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Blackwood stopped 10 of 13 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Wild in Game 5.
Blackwood got the start for the second game in a row, but a poor first period saw him replaced by Scott Wedgewood for the remainder of the game. The Avalanche overcame the 3-0 deficit Blackwood left behind, winning the series and earning a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Blackwood may be ticketed for backup duties to begin that series, which will see the Avalanche face the winner of the Golden Knights-Ducks series.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Earns win in Game 4
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Blackwood stopped 19 of 21 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.
Blackwood made his first start of the postseason, and while it wasn't a dominant performance, it was enough for the win. The 29-year-old hadn't started since April 14 versus the Flames. Blackwood could get a chance to string together some starts after earning this win, especially since it gave the Avalanche a 3-1 series lead that allows the team to tinker if necessary. Game 5 is in Colorado on Wednesday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: First off ahead of Game 4
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Blackwood is expected to protect the road net against Minnesota on Monday in Game 4, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
After occupying the starter's crease at Monday's morning skate and being the first goalie off the ice, Blackwood appears poised to make his first start this postseason. He stopped 12 of 13 shots in a relief appearance during Game 3's 5-1 loss to the Wild on Saturday. Blackwood posted a 23-10-2 record with three shutouts, a 2.50 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 38 outings during the 2025-26 regular season. Minnesota has amassed 36 goals in nine games this postseason.
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Avalanche's Scott Wedgewood: Getting first playoff start
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Wedgewood will get the start in goal for Sunday's Game 1 against the Kings, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.
Wedgewood has appeared in four playoff games in his career, but this will be the first start in the playoffs for the 33-year-old. He had the best regular season of his career this year, playing in 45 games and going 31-6-6 with a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage. The Avalanche may use Mackenzie Blackwood at some point in the postseason as well, but it will be Wedgewood's net to open the postseason against the Kings, who had the fourth-worst offense in the NHL during the regular season at 2.68 goals per game.
Blackwood stopped 30 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Flames.
Blackwood has been inconsistent down the stretch, posting a 2-2-1 record with a 3.07 GAA and an .892 save percentage over his past six outings. He has gone 23-10-2 this season with a 2.50 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 38 appearances. It's unclear whether Blackwood or Scott Wedgewood will start the first game of the playoffs.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Getting start in Calgary
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Blackwood will guard the road goal versus the Flames on Tuesday.
Blackwood will get the nod after Scott Wedgewood started Monday in a 2-1 shootout win over the Oilers. The 29-year-old Blackwood has won just one of his last five outings, allowing 16 goals on 126 shots in that span. He's maintained his playing time for now, but if he continues to struggle, he could lose opportunities in the postseason.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Loses to Vegas in overtime
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Blackwood stopped 26 of 29 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights got a good game out of their top players, and that was the difference. Blackwood has just one win in his last five appearances, going 1-2-1 with 16 goals allowed on 126 shots in that span. The 29-year-old is at 22-10-2 with a 2.55 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 37 appearances this season. The Avalanche look committed to a timeshare in the crease for now and could keep that up into the playoffs, though Blackwood will have to pull his weight to avoid losing more time to Scott Wedgewood. The Avalanche have a back-to-back up next, visiting the Oilers on Monday and the Flames on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Slated to start Saturday
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Blackwood is expected to start at home against Vegas on Saturday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 3-1 win over Calgary on Thursday. He has a 22-10-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .901 save percentage in 36 appearances with the Avalanche in 2025-26. Vegas is 4-0-1 while averaging 4.00 goals per game across five matches since John Tortorella took over as head coach.
Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Flames.
Blackwood ended a three-game winless stretch. He nearly had a shutout but was denied that feat when Tyson Gross scored his first NHL goal at 17:08 of the third period. Blackwood still improved to 22-10-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 36 appearances this season. His effort helped the Avalanche secure the Presidents' Trophy, guaranteeing them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. With the league's top spot secured, expect Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood to evenly split the Avalanche's last four games of the regular season.
Blackwood will defend the home crease versus Calgary on Thursday, according to Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.
Blackwood has not been great in his last three starts, going 0-2-0 while allowing 12 goals on 68 shots (,824 save percentage). Overall, Blackwood is 21-10-1 with a 2.58 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 35 appearances this season. The Flames are 30th in NHL scoring, generating 2.57 goals per game.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Pulled against Canucks
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Blackwood stopped 13 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Canucks.
While it looked like a good matchup in theory, Blackwood's dreadful performance likely burned a lot of fantasy managers at a bad time of year. The silver lining was that he didn't end up with the loss, as the Avalanche were able to cover his damage. He's gone just 4-3-0 with 30 goals allowed on 194 shots over his last 10 outings, though Blackwood is still seeing the edge for playing time over Scott Wedgewood, who allowed one goal on six shots in relief. Blackwood remains at 21-9-1 with a 2.57 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 34 appearances this season. He'll likely start one of the next two games as the Avalanche visit the Stars on Saturday before hosting the Blues on Sunday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Gives up three goals in loss
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Blackwood stopped 17 of 20 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Jets. The fourth goal was an empty-netter with 2:09 left in the third period.
Blackwood failed to extend his winning streak to four games. The 29-year-old goaltender has allowed three or fewer goals in five of his last six outings while going 3-2-0 with a 2.46 GAA and an .882 save percentage in that stretch.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Slated to face Winnipeg
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Blackwood is expected to start at home against Winnipeg on Saturday, per Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports.
Blackwood has won his past three outings while stopping 61 of 66 shots (.924 save percentage). He has a 21-8-1 record, 2.40 GAA and .906 save percentage in 32 outings with Colorado this season. Winnipeg is tied for 24th in goals per game with 2.82 this campaign.
