Mackenzie Blackwood surrendered one goal in two full games against the Detroit Red Wings. He still didn’t win both games.
The Avalanche got shut out for the first time on Monday, wasting Blackwood’s second consecutive strong performance. Blackwood has surrendered just five goals in his last four starts and is 2-2. The offensive support isn’t there from the Avalanche right now.
10 Takeaways
1. This four-game stretch for Blackwood came after his poor performance against the Philadelphia Flyers nearly two weeks ago. Blackwood gave up six goals on 19 shots and was called out by head coach Jared Bednar.
The tune was different after this loss.
“He’s stringing together some nice games here. Obviously, the Detroit game, Toronto, now this one, so he’s getting back in the swing of things,” Bednar said. “He’s been working hard at it, trying to get him in the net a little bit more here. Obviously, we got a big break coming up, but he’s giving us a chance to win every night right now.”
2. Blackwood is 15-5-1 and has a .916 save percentage. This is likely the record he’ll carry into the Olympic break, as I’d imagine Scott Wedgewood will get the nod Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks.
3. Regardless, Bednar’s comments are accurate. Blackwood struggled when he came back from his early season injury in November. It took him a handful of games to find his stride, and then he settled into a dominant goalie that gave the Avs a chance to win every night. Most nights, they did.
This time, he needed two games to get things right. If the offensive support was there, Blackwood would easily be 3-1 or even 4-0 in his last four starts.
4. Speaking of the offense, this break is coming at a good time. I don’t think the Avalanche will sulk over these losses for three weeks. A lot of their top guys will be at the Olympics, but even the rest of the roster could use a reset. When the team returns in late February, it’ll be a fresh start.
5. There were a lot of Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, and Brock Nelson shifts in this one. It’s clear the Avs are desperately missing Martin Necas and Gabe Landeskog, but it’s also not a good sign that Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson are getting pushed aside this often.
They make up two of the top four wingers right now, and neither of them reached 14 minutes of ice time. Colton played just 12:45.
6. Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, and Joel Kiviranta all played more at 5-on-5 than Olofsson and Colton.
7. Two players I bet will really benefit from the break: Brent Burns and Gavin Brindley.
Burns because he’s been doing this for 20+ years and could use a bit of time to recover. Brindley, because he’s a rookie who has never played this much hockey in this little time before. The excitement he brought to the lineup earlier in the year has been nonexistent in recent weeks.
I recall Sam Malinski last year talking about how the 4 Nations break was good for him for this exact reason.
8. Six giveaways for Nathan MacKinnon. This was one of those nights where almost every time he started to dangle, he either lost the puck or made a pass that ended up going the other way.
9. In Detroit, MacKinnon missed an open net on the power play. In Denver, Nichushkin had most of the net open for him to shoot at, but instead put it into the goalie in the middle of the crease. Colorado ended 0-for-4 on the PP during this home-and-home, but could’ve easily had two.
You have to imagine that getting some of these to go in will help with their confidence. Something’s got to give with the man advantage at some point. Maybe the lengthy break will help.
10. The Taylor Makar experiment has to end. If not on Wednesday, then when the team returns to action after the Olympics. Makar has potential to develop into an NHL player but he’s not ready. It’s too much, too soon. The Colorado Eagles are a perfect spot for him to grow without being rushed.
If Martin Necas returns on Wednesday, Makar will be the one to sit barring any other injuries. But even if the Avs need to call someone up, there are at least two others on the Eagles who are a better fit right now.
