DENVER — Two weeks ago, coach Jared Bednar was singing a very different tune when it came to Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood got off to a rough start in Colorado’s 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on November 13. The first period saw two early goals slip past him: the first from former Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram, who punched in a failed cover-up attempt, and the second a mix of shaky goaltending and defensive breakdowns. Buffalo’s Owen Power lobbed the puck into the zone, allowing Jordan Greenway to outskate two defenders and beat Blackwood with a clean shot. BEDNAR PUT BLACKWOOD ON NOTICE After the 28-year-old goaltender told reporters that he needed more minutes to get back to being his vintage self, Bednar provided a bit of tough love in the post-game press conference. Jared Bednar gave his calm and collected version of tough love for Mackenzie Blackwood on November 13. "I hate to sound cruel [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/bednar-s-tough-love-puts-blackwood-on-notice], 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.” “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." Blackwood [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/mackenzie-blackwood-addresses-bednar-s-criticism-he-s-not-wrong-it-s-the-truth] told The Hockey News the following day that he agreed with Bednar’s take on the matter, as uncomfortable as it was to address publicly, and acknowledged it was up to him to fix the problem. And in the weeks since, he clearly has. BLACKWOOD EARNS BEDNAR’S PRAISE During their recent road trip, the Avalanche offense never fully found its rhythm, yet Colorado still escaped with wins over the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks. And in Nashville, it was Blackwood who carried them, delivering a 35-save shutout to secure a 3-0 victory and effectively willing the team across the finish line. Scott Wedgewood, who filled the void for Blackwood while he recovered from offseason surgery to repair a lower body injury and who currently leads all NHL goaltenders with 13 wins, followed with a shutout of his own in a 1-0 victory over the Blackhawks. But if there was any question about whether Blackwood’s performance in Nashville was merely a one-off, he put that notion to rest on Wednesday night. Facing his former San Jose Sharks, Blackwood delivered another shutout in a commanding 6-0 win, erasing any remaining doubt about his form. We asked Bednar just how impressed he has been with Blackwood since challenging him to regain his sharpness. “Yeah, 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. It’s why he’s our guy.” Bednar addressed Blackwood's resurgence beginning at 2:11. Credit: DNVR Before Blackwood went on this impressive streak, Bednar told reporters that he expected more from his netminder. At the same time, he acknowledged Blackwood’s offseason injury, his slower-than-anticipated recovery, and the fact that he missed most of training camp and the preseason in stages. That measured critique was likely intentional, aimed at keeping Blackwood from becoming complacent. Now that he’s back to full strength, Bednar took this moment to speak about his recovery in detail. “But (when) you don’t play since the end of last year, you have a procedure in May, and that’s a long time off the ice. It’s a long time where you’re not getting reps and going through camp. You’re gonna expect him not to be at his best right away, but since he’s been healthy, putting in a lot of extra work with (goaltending coach) Jussi (Parkkila) and (Scott Wedgewood), it was a matter of time in our opinion before he was going to get to where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be. “You kind of got to play him through that a little bit, you got to get him the practice time, so it took a little bit longer than what we would have liked, but we’re fortunate the way Wedge is playing, so now we got two guys at the top of their game. It’s great for us and I’m really happy for both of those guys for what they’re accomplishing.” CIVIL WAR At the start of the season, it appeared the Avalanche might once again be derailed by injuries, with both Blackwood [https://www.milehighhockey.com/colorado-avalanche-preseason-game-coverage/57804/avalanche-enter-preseason-battling-injuries-already] and defenseman Samuel Girard sidelined. Yet after Bednar described this team as the best he had seen since the 2022 Stanley Cup run, that assessment has aged remarkably well. While Wedgewood was outstanding for the Avalanche last season, few could have predicted that he would play at such a high level that Team Canada [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/scott-wedgewood-joins-team-canada-s-expanding-long-list]would place him on their Olympic long list for the upcoming Milan Games. Now, with Blackwood back to form, we could see both men vying for an Olympic spot at the same time—or, as our own Michael Traikos [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/wedgewood-or-blackwood-why-canada-should-take-both-avalanche-goalies-to-the-olympics] has suggested, Jon Cooper could simply bring both. Thankfully for the Colorado Avalanche, there is no civil war, as catchy as that might sound. The real battle is against the rest of the NHL. This team is a true juggernaut, and with Mackenzie Blackwood back at the peak of his abilities, a squad that was already formidable has become downright intimidating. And it wasn’t just a response to the critics—Blackwood made history in the process. He is the seventh goaltender in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to record consecutive shutouts, joining an elite group that includes Patrick Roy, Clint Malarchuk, David Aebischer, Pavel Francouz, Darcy Kuemper, and Justus Annunen. Until Wednesday night, only Roy and Kuemper had managed to do it twice with Colorado. With his latest performance, Blackwood became the third to achieve the feat. The rust is gone. Case closed. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c91bf45a-f824-435d-a7fa-a0e321dedf12.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]. 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