There’s no denying that Mackenzie Blackwood was the catalyst of the Avalanche’s 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Colorado was outshot 14-3 in the third period of a game it led 3-2, trying to hold on to the lead.
Blackwood was perfect. He stopped all of them. In 13 instances, he made a save while the game was in progress. But the biggest save of the bunch was the 14th.
No defense, no running clock. Just Blackwood going one-on-one with Trevor Zegras on a penalty shot.
Zegras is the NHL’s best shootout specialist. He’s four-for-four this season in shootouts and is one of the best in NHL history. Zegras has scored a whopping 17 shootout goals on just 25 chances.
Blackwood, on the other hand, has not been great in games that go past regulation. Last season, he made only six saves on 17 shootout attempts and is 7-18 in 25 shootout appearances over his career. It’s among the worst in NHL history since shootouts started in 2005.
Penalty shots aren’t shootouts because of the added pressure in that moment, and the sudden responsibility to go in on a breakaway without getting time to plan your move. That much is true. But it’s still a one-on-one with the goalie, and the Zegras vs. Blackwood matchup was the best possible scenario you can get for a team that’s shooting.
Blackwood, however, would not allow it. He watched Zegras skate in slowly, then accelerate, and didn’t bite on the switch up until after Zegras made his move. The shot was easily saved, and the lead was secured for Colorado.
READ MORE: The Aftermath: Power Play, Blackwood Spark Another Avalanche Victory
10 Observations
1. Blackwood has now stopped seven of nine penalty shots in his career, which is a 78% success rate. I’m genuinely interested in asking him or Scott Wedgewood about the differences between a penalty shot and a shootout.
Given the difference in how well he does in those situations, there has to be something there.
2. Both Blackwood and Wedgewood have matching .920 save percentages. That’s a lot to ask from your goalies, but the team in front of them has done a great job of limiting opportunities against. It’s a perfect marriage, and a nice change from where this team was a year ago.
Tuesday will be a year since Colorado acquired Blackwood.
3. Different games, different heroes. It was Nathan MacKinnon who stepped up in New York. And in this one, it was obviously Blackwood, but also Valeri Nichushkin. The Avs forward tallied the eventual game winner and was also screening the goalie on the Brent Burns goal that made it 1-1.
4. Nichushkin played 15:22. That’s low — very low for him. Having Ross Colton continue to ride shotgun on the second line has allowed coach Jared Bednar the ability to limit Nichushkin’s ice time.
5. This is a good thing. In fact, it’s a great thing. Bednar is basically doing the same thing with Nichushkin that he did with Blackwood when he returned from injury. Blackwood didn’t necessarily do anything to lose the crease, but Wedgewood’s strong start earned him way more starts while Blackwood shook off the rust.
Colton has earned the opportunity to stay on the second line for now. And Nichushkin, who is playing less than 19 minutes per game for the first time since 2021, is not being overused like he was in years past. The depth this team has, and the fact that so many depth guys are being rewarded for playing well, means Colorado can preserve their top guys in the regular season.
6. Devon Toews is playing 22:40 per game so far, which is the lowest since the Avalanche acquired him from the Islanders in 2020. MacKinnon’s average ice time is below 22 minutes for the first time since the Stanley Cup year.
These are other examples of what depth has done for this team. It’s a long season. The less they play now, the more you can use them down the road and rely on them in the postseason.
7. Victor Olofsson was stopped on a breakaway, but still recorded an assist earlier on the Nichushkin goal. He’s been a great two-way depth player all year and quietly has 18 points in 29 games. That type of production has allowed the Avs to spread the ice time down the lineup.
8. Speaking of strong depth production, Parker Kelly has been an absolute beast. He looks way more comfortable this year in all aspects and it’s largely because he’s not starting the year at center like he did last season.
He’s already up to six goals and 12 points, and is not far off from his 19-point career-best with the Avs last year. He has eight points in his last 15 games.
9. Burns’ goal was the 265th of his career, which passed Nick Lidstrom for the ninth most among defensemen in NHL history.
10. Seven of Blackwood’s 24 saves came on Travis Konecny, who scored once on eight shots.
