MacKenzie Blackwood gave the Colorado Avalanche an early jolt against the Flames, and the stop he made late in the first period already has the look of a Save of the Year candidate.
With Calgary pushing and Matt Coronato staring at what looked like an open net, Blackwood threw himself across the crease and somehow got enough glove on the puck to keep it out. The save came in desperate fashion, but it worked. The puck was stopped, the crowd at Ball Arena erupted, and Colorado carried a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
No one on the ice seemed to process it in real time, Coronato included. The Avalanche’s social account captured the moment with the line, “Apparently Blackwood wanted to be a robber for Halloween this year 💰 pic.twitter.com/LnM5yU1IBI” on November 1, 2026.
That sequence ended up being more than just a highlight. It helped hold the line before Colorado took over in the second period and opened the game up, making the final result feel decided long before the end.
Blackwood’s save also fit the bigger picture of what he has done this season. He has started fast, shaken off a couple of early hiccups, and settled in as the steady force Colorado has leaned on. The Avalanche have had stretches where the defense has been loose and the scoring hasn’t always been there, and Blackwood has been the one keeping them afloat.
He has clearly established himself as the team’s undisputed starter, and his overall impact has kept Colorado within reach of the Central Division lead. It may still be early to talk seriously about the Vezina Trophy, but Blackwood has done enough to at least put his name in the conversation.
For the Avalanche, the hope is simple: keep getting this version of Blackwood. If that continues, Colorado will like its chances heading toward the 2027 Stanley Cup with one of the strongest shots at another title in the next half-decade.
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Avalanche Suddenly Have A Contract Question They Can't Ignore
Artturi Lehkonen has turned his contract year into one of the Avalanches early-season bright spots, and it is hard to miss why. Through the opening stretch, he has been scoring at a level that has him tied for second in the NHL goals race, while Jared Bednar has pointed to the same things Colorado has valued from him all along: the steady habits, direct style and consistency that keep his game effective night after night.
Lehkonen, for his part, has stayed on message and kept the focus where the Avalanche want it, on the team rather than the individual numbers. Still, when a player is producing like this in a contract year, it naturally raises the stakes for Colorado, which now has to weigh what his current form means for the bigger picture as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Finally Got The Kind Of Win They Desperately Needed
After a rough stretch, the Avalanche got exactly the kind of response they needed at Ball Arena, putting together a complete 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. Cale Makar drove the offense with four assists, Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, and Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas also found the net in a game that had the look of a team trying to reassert itself.
Mackenzie Blackwood did his part, too, turning aside 25 shots to help steady things behind a more assertive effort from Colorado. For a group that had been searching for a cleaner, more convincing result, this was the sort of night that can matter well beyond the standings, even if the bigger question is whether it can become the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Peter Forsberg Left Avalanche Fans With One Massive What If
Peter Forsbergs Avalanche career remains one of the great blends of brilliance and frustration in franchise history. In 708 NHL games, he helped Colorado win two Stanley Cups and collected the Hart, Art Ross and Calder Trophies, all while bringing the kind of scoring touch and physical edge that made him a nightmare to defend when he was healthy.
What makes his legacy linger, though, is how often injuries interrupted the run. Spleen surgery once cost him an entire season, and even after he led playoff scoring in 2002 and added more major hardware in 2002-03, the stops and starts kept piling up until his playing time dwindled and his career wound down. For Avalanche fans, Forsberg is still a reminder of what might have been if one of the sports most gifted players had ever gotten a clean stretch. [Read more 🡒]