{"id":522587,"date":"2026-03-25T20:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/522587\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T20:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:32:30","slug":"scott-wedgewood-makes-his-case-for-avalanche-goalie-in-playoffs-and-vezina-trophy-nhl-insider-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/522587\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott Wedgewood makes his case for Avalanche goalie in playoffs \u2014 and Vezina Trophy | NHL Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of the biggest game of the season against Dallas last week, Jared Bednar made the call.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Scott Wedgewood\u2019s) the guy to go with right now, in my opinion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If the playoffs started today, it seems unlikely his opinion would change.<\/p>\n

It was Wedgewood\u2019s net again Tuesday in Pittsburgh, and, like he has for most of the season, he got the job done, often in spectacular fashion. In the third period, the Avalanche got a little loose defensively. It didn\u2019t matter. Wedgewood was there to stonewall the Penguins, including a stop where he went post-to-post to rob Pittsburgh\u2019s best goal scorer on an odd-man rush.<\/p>\n

At this point should anyone be surprised? That\u2019s what Wedgewood has done all season. The bad starts have been rare, but when he\u2019s had one, he\u2019s bounced back almost immediately. Take last week, for example.<\/p>\n

Wedgewood got the start at home against Pittsburgh, but he did not finish the game. He didn\u2019t even finish the first period. The Penguins scored three goals on five shots and his night was over. Bednar didn\u2019t put the blame on his goaltender, and in Wedgewood\u2019s next two starts, he stopped 47 of 50 shots.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that Mackenzie Blackwood has been bad. Quite the opposite, despite the narrative around him. Of NHL goaltenders that have played at least 20 games this season, Blackwood sits 13th in the NHL in goals saved above expected per-60 minutes. When Blackwood is rolling, he makes everything look easy, because he covers so much of the net. The organization still has plenty of confidence in his abilities, as it should.<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) before an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Nick Wass)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just that Wedgwood has been that good.<\/p>\n

He leads all regular NHL goaltenders in save percentage at .916, has the lowest goals-against average at 2.19 and sits seventh in the league in wins with 26. Forget just competing for the Avalanche net when the playoffs start. Wedgewood should be in the running for the Vezina trophy as the league\u2019s best goaltender.<\/p>\n

What may be held against Wedgewood is the fact the Avalanche have more or less split the net between him and Blackwood, something they will continue to do down the final stretch. Some of the other goaltenders in the running for the Vezina \u2014 Logan Thompson, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Sorokin \u2014 have started several more games as their teams\u2019 clear No. 1 goalies. That\u2019s often taken into account among voters.<\/p>\n

Whether Wedgewood is a finalist for the Vezina, which is voted on by all 32 general managers, remains to be seen. What\u2019s clear is he\u2019s done more than enough to put himself in the conversation for the award, an incredible accomplishment for someone Chris MacFarland acquired for very little 16 months ago.<\/p>\n

Based off how the Avalanche have rotated goaltenders, it would be a mild surprise if we don\u2019t see both Wedgewood and Blackwood when the playoffs roll around.<\/p>\n

But if the decision had to be made today, it seems Bednar would lean toward Wedgewood. And that would be the right call.<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (7) battles Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque (22) in front of goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) during the second period Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m hearing<\/p>\n

On Altitude Sports Radio Wednesday, Bednar said the Avalanche will be without Nicolas Roy \u201cfor a little bit.\u201d It didn\u2019t sound serious based off his tone. He made it clear they want Roy to be healthy for the stretch run, but it\u2019s far from ideal for another forward to miss time with so few games left for the team to build chemistry before the postseason. Roy has fit in well with three goals in his first nine games in Colorado.<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid called the Pacific Division race a \u201cbit of a pillow fight right now,\u201d which is a hilarious (and correct) way of putting it. The Anaheim Ducks lead the division with 84 points but have a negative goal differential and are propped up by the fact that 40% of their wins have either come in 3-on-3 overtime or the shootout. There are four Eastern Conference teams currently out of the playoff picture that would be in second place in a division with Edmonton, Vegas and Los Angeles underperforming. This doesn\u2019t happen every year. But when it does happen, it underscores how terrible the NHL playoff system is because none of them will have to face a top-tier Central Division team until the conference finals.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m seeing<\/p>\n

Ottawa\u2019s surge towards the postseason is well deserved. The Senators mostly been held back by horrific goaltending. That\u2019s a solid roster, and it\u2019s finding ways to win without their two best defensemen.<\/p>\n

San Jose\u2019s fun story doesn\u2019t seem like it will end with a playoff berth, as the Sharks have hit a wall. On the flip side, Nashville has gotten red hot and now has become the odds-on favorite to take that last wild card spot. Even though the Avalanche should be able to take them in a seven-game series, the Predators have given them trouble. Ryan O\u2019Reilly is still a pain to play against.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m thinking<\/p>\n

It\u2019s crazy how quickly things can flip in this league. With the Avalanche on a three-game winning streak and the Stars having lost three in a row, it\u2019s now a seven-point lead for Colorado atop the division. The Avalanche also hold all the tiebreakers, so Dallas would have to leapfrog them to take the lead. With so few games remaining, the Avalanche must secure 15 of the final 24 points available to them to lock up the division. If they do that, even an 11-game winning streak from Dallas wouldn\u2019t be enough to take the Central.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh\u2019s TV crew went off after Justin Brazeau\u2019s second-period goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference on Wedgewood Tuesday. This one actually seemed like the correct call as Brazeau chose the path that led to him bumping into Wedgewood\u2019s skate in the crease. But I\u2019m all for TV crews going off on these rulings. There just has not been any real consistency, which leaves everyone frustrated no matter the call. The NHL has no one to blame but itself for this situation.<\/p>\n


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