Mackenzie Blackwood was a little shaky early, but recovered nicely to give the Avalanche a shot at winning.
Mackenzie Blackwood looked sharp in his return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup.
The 28-year-old made his season debut Saturday afternoon at SAP Center, turning aside 20 shots in a 3–2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks after rehabbing a stubborn lower-body injury. It marked Colorado’s fifth defeat beyond regulation this season, a pattern that continues to sting despite Blackwood’s encouraging outing.
In Blackwood’s absence, Scott Wedgewood stepped in admirably, posting a 7–1–2 record across 11 starts, with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. Trent Miner also acquitted himself well in his appearances, though both of his outings ended in defeats outside of regulation.
Blackwood Shaking Off the Rust
Colorado set the tempo early, limiting San Jose to few offensive opportunities through much of the first half of the opening period. That may have been a blessing, as Blackwood, still shaking off the rust from an extended layoff, often appeared a step behind the pace of live play. His timing was slightly off, and his cross-crease movements lacked their customary snap. The discrepancy was most evident on Philipp Kurashev’s first goal of the second period, which gave the Sharks a 2–1 lead. Kurashev broke free behind the defense and finished with a clean wrist shot. Credit where it’s due: although Blackwood’s reaction time was off, the officials missed a clear interference at the blue line, as Alexander Wennberg impeded Devon Toews, allowing Kurashev to enter the zone unchallenged. In that context, Blackwood’s misstep was perhaps more a matter of being caught off guard by the non-call than a reflection of poor effort.
That assessment seems fair, especially considering that Blackwood stood tall in the third period, delivering a composed and effective performance, as the Sharks led the frame with nine shots on goal to Colorado’s seven. The Avalanche could have conceded in overtime even earlier, after a turnover deep in their defensive zone allowed San Jose to launch a rush. Blackwood stopped the first attempt, but when Kurashev regained the puck, he unleashed a sharp wrister past the goalie from nearly the same spot as his opening goal.
Powerplay/Turnovers
The Avalanche tallied four power-play goals against the Vegas Golden Knights, yet were unable to capitalize on their opportunities against the Sharks. They had just two chances with the man advantage, and converting even one could have altered the course of the game. Turnovers proved problematic for both sides: Colorado and San Jose each surrendered the puck 18 times, though the Sharks registered six takeaways compared with the Avalanche’s two.
One of Colorado’s defining strengths is their ability to carry the puck up the ice and generate offensive opportunities. The drawback of such an aggressive approach, however, is that when a play breaks down, players can find themselves stranded at the other end of the ice, leaving the defense to compensate. That vulnerability has proven costly for the Avalanche, particularly in overtime, where mistakes are magnified.
And yes, when MacKinnon overshot the pass to Necas, that was unquestionably an icing. The fact that it went uncalled is undeniably frustrating, but such missteps are part and parcel of sports. Officials err, and the only recourse is to respond with relentless effort. Setting that moment aside, there were still 60 minutes of hockey, and the Avalanche generated numerous opportunities to seal the contest. As Jonathan Toews told The Hockey News last week, Colorado has “allowed teams to stay in games when we were pushing the pace and dominating play.”
If the Avalanche can minimize these lapses, it will alleviate significant pressure on both Blackwood and Wedgewood, the latter of whom entered Saturday’s game with a league-leading seven wins.
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