DENVER — Coach Jared Bednar issued a challenge to Mackenzie Blackwood following Thursday's 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabers. Blackwood turned aside 18 shots in the win, though his early form wavered. He surrendered two first-period goals, the first to former Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram, who cashed in after Blackwood failed to cover the puck, leaving Byram free to finish from the doorstep. The second goal came from a combination of shaky goaltending and Colorado simply getting beaten to the puck. Buffalo’s Owen Power lofted a puck into the Avalanche zone, where Jordan Greenway outpaced two defenders and hammered a bouncing feed into the net, cutting the deficit to 3–2. While the Avalanche were clearly outworked on the play, it was still a shot Blackwood should have stopped. Jared Bednar tells the media after the game that it's up to Blackwood to earn more starts. When asked whether he felt fully back to form both mentally and physically, Blackwood kept it simple. "Yeah, pretty much. Everything is good. My game, I just need minutes and reps and get the timing back, but it's coming." Bednar was asked to address his post-game remarks and took a straightforward, tough-love approach, noting that minutes are earned, not handed out. BEDNAR ISSUES CHALLENGE TO BLACKWOOD "I hate to sound cruel, but that's a Blacky problem at this point," he stated. "It's not a problem for me; I have lots of confidence in Blacky and I know there's lots of minutes between here and the end of the season, but (Scott Wedgewood) is playing great, so I'm not gonna not play Wedge to play Blacky at this point, so those minutes come in practice and hard work he's been doing that and he'll get his games...Wedge is rested and ready to go for Sunday. "I'm not gonna not play him because Blacky needs minutes. There's plenty of time to give him minutes. Right now, we're gonna play a rested goalie and play the goalie that gives us a really good chance." That development all but cements Wedgewood as Sunday’s starter against the New York Islanders. The 33-year-old goaltender, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million extension Thursday morning that carries through the 2026–27 season, has been exceptional, posting a 10-1-2 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Blackwood, by contrast, sits at 2-0-1 with a 3.28 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage. At this juncture, there is little question that Wedgewood is the more reliable option. Bednar said of Blackwood's overall performance: "I thought he was just okay. First (goal) gotta handle it. Ends up in the back (of the net) because he doesn't handle the rebound. But (he made) a couple of key saves...still knocking a bit of the rust off but he competed hard, but I still think the best of his play is still to come." If Blackwood’s struggles persist in his upcoming starts, Wedgewood could well secure the starter’s role on a permanent basis—and with a 2.26 GAA at a $2.5 million cap hit, he represents a remarkable bargain for Colorado. Ideally, the Avalanche would have both goaltenders operating at peak form, but at the moment, the gap between them is anything but narrow. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1292f228-7350-46fb-a708-a46e9b9bf60a.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
