Mackenzie Blackwood spent Wednesday night in Dallas making the Stars look like they’d been picked clean.
The Colorado Avalanche goaltender turned in a 24-save effort in a 3-2 win at American Airlines Center, and the game never really felt like a simple stat line. Blackwood looked settled, sharp and fully in control when Colorado needed him to be. When the Avalanche bent, he didn’t.
That’s what made the performance hit. It wasn’t just the saves. It was the timing of them, the poise, the way he kept bailing out a team that kept handing Dallas chances.
The Avalanche made life rough on him early and often. They turned pucks over in their own zone, missed assignments and repeatedly left Tyler Seguin with room in the low slot. None of it helped Blackwood, and one sequence late in the second period was especially costly-looking: Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski drifted through his own end and gave the puck away directly to Dallas forward Sam Steel for a prime look.
Colorado also played without Cale Makar, who was unavailable as he and his wife prepared to welcome twins.
Still, none of that changed the final result because Blackwood wouldn’t let the Stars cash in enough. He made the saves that mattered, adjusted when he had to and shut down the moments that could have flipped the night on its head.
There was also a little postgame theater to go with it. Afterward, Blackwood got his hands on the Avalanche’s victory chain, and the grin in the photo said plenty. For a goalie who’s spent plenty of time under scrutiny this season, it was the look of someone who knew exactly how much he’d just done.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has been talking for more than a year about Blackwood having another level in him. Bednar has not made a big show of it; he’s simply kept pointing to the same idea. Wednesday night offered a strong case that he might be right.
That doesn’t mean the door is closed on questions. One night doesn’t erase the uneven stretches, and nobody is pretending otherwise. Blackwood still has to prove he can bring this version of himself back again and again.
But on this night, he was the difference. Colorado gave Dallas enough openings to make things ugly. Blackwood refused to let them.
So yes, the Avalanche won 3-2. And yes, Blackwood walked away with the grin, the chain and the kind of performance that forces everyone to take a second look.
Now comes the real test: doing it again.
In Other News...
Avalanche Lose A Bench Voice At An Awkward Time For Special Teams
Dave Hakstols time on the Avalanche bench is ending at a tricky stretch for the staff, with the veteran coach coaching his final game in Colorado and then expected to move into the interim head coaching role at Arizona State University. For an Avalanche team that has leaned on every voice behind the bench, its a notable shift, and Brett McLean is set to step in and take Hakstols place on the staff.
The timing adds an extra layer to the move, since Arizona State has been searching for an experienced coach after Greg Powers was placed on administrative leave. For Colorado, the immediate takeaway is simple enough: one of the familiar voices around the room is leaving, and the Avalanche will have to adjust quickly while special teams remains under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than Their Scoring Can Hide
The Avalanches early-season scoring has been good enough to keep most nights from feeling too heavy, but the cracks underneath are getting harder to ignore. Special teams have been the clearest issue so far, with an ineffective power play and a penalty kill sitting 15th in the league, leaving Colorado searching for cleaner structure in the moments that so often decide tight games.
The problem showed up again in the loss to Dallas, when a turnover by Cale Makar led to a shorthanded goal against, a sequence that summed up how costly the margin has become. Now there is another wrinkle to watch, with assistant coach Dave Hakstol leaving for Arizona State University and Brett McLean stepping in as his replacement, a change that could bring adjustments to how the Avalanche handle those pressure points. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Just Lost A Key Coach Behind Their Biggest Problem
The Avalanche are set to lose one of their assistant coaches as Dave Hakstol moves on to take over as Arizona States interim head coach, a change that comes after his time in Denver included helping behind the bench in a key role. The shift also carries a personal angle, with Hakstols move tied in part to his son being involved with the Sun Devils club team.
Colorado is expected to fill the opening with Brett MacLean, a former Avalanche player who has also spent time as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks. It is another behind-the-scenes adjustment for a team that will now look to keep its coaching structure steady as one of its important bench voices heads to the college game. [Read more 🡒]