Blackwood Makes History And Delivers The Perfect Response To Critics

DENVER —  Only a few weeks ago, Mackenzie Blackwood looked like a goaltender still searching for rhythm, his return marked by hesitation and second-guessing from critics. He cautioned everyone to give it time. Fast forward to Wednesday night at Ball Arena, and that patience has paid off—Blackwood didn’t just find his game; he made history— again.

Blackwood is just the seventh goaltender in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to post consecutive shutouts, joining an elite lineage that includes Patrick Roy, Clint Malarchuk, David Aebischer, Pavel Francouz, Darcy Kuemper, and Justus Annunen. But until tonight, only Roy and Kuemper had done it twice. Make room for one more, gentleman.

Blackwood picked up back-to-back shutouts on January 31 and February 2 last season, when he led the Avs to a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, and followed that up with an 2-0 blanking of the Philadelphia Flyers. And once again, Blackwood did it in emphatic fashion, backstopping Colorado to a 6–0 dismantling of his former team, the San Jose Sharks. The Avalanche have won 10 straight, including three consecutive shutouts, with Scott Wedgewood earning the other one. This is also the first time in 24 years that the Avalanche have recorded three straight shutouts.

Coach Jared Bednar, who said in recent weeks that it was up to Blackwood to earn more minutes and reps following a trio of shaky performances, heaped praise on his goaltender in the post-game press conference.

“I’m really impressed,” he stated. “The Nashville game was lights out. Tonight, good again. And part of it is just, like I’ve talked about before, knocking the rust off. We have a lot of faith in this guy. Obviously it’s why we signed him.”

Through his first three starts, Blackwood carried a 2-0-1 record but had surrendered 10 goals, prompting a chorus of doubt about whether he was truly ready to return. It was evident that some of that criticism cut deeper than he let on—understandably so. He was the one who endured offseason surgery, the one who managed the pain and the uncertainty, and yet he was the one being second-guessed.

But the conversation has shifted. Blackwood has quieted every skeptic, and he did so in the most composed, unequivocally professional manner possible—by letting his performance speak for him.

Now his stat line tells an entirely different story—one defined not by uncertainty, but by dominance. Blackwood has elevated his game to a career-best level, entering the weekend at 4-0-1 with a sparkling 1.98 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. What began as a tentative return has transformed into one of the strongest stretches of his NHL career.

“It’s a day-by-day league,” he told reporters. “I told you guys after I played. I didn’t feel my best; I didn’t feel smooth; I didn’t feel like I was making good reads. I’ve played long enough now. Enough repetitions and time, you’re going to find it again. I wasn’t expecting to go two shutouts in a row, but just feeling good about my game. I’m happy it’s been going well.”

The Hockey News also pressed Blackwood on whether he felt his recent surge warranted a spot on Team Canada’s long list for the upcoming Milan Olympics—especially now that teammate  Wedgewood has earned an invitation. Blackwood stayed consistent with his earlier message, offering a measured, grounded response.

“Two games ago you guys were talking about me not having my best stuff,” he said with a wry edge, “so I don’t think it’s going to happen that quickly. But hopefully I can steamroll that into a little bit of momentum and keep going.”

Happy Thanksgiving! The Avalanche (17-1-5) hit the road to face Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild (13-7-4) on Friday. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. local time.

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