In what seemed like a cruel April Fool’s joke, the Colorado Avalanche lost 8-6 to the Vancouver Canucks, of all teams.
The loss wasn’t that bad. The Avs pulled off a fantastic comeback. The club entered the third period down 6-3, and pulled even at six with about six minutes to go in the third.
It was a valiant effort. Unfortunately, Brock Boeser picked a heck of a time to have the best game of his season, dumping Colorado for good.
All right, so it might be a good idea if the Avs left the Nordiques regalia in the closet for good. But the broader issue here is that MacKenzie Blackwood had another agonizingly tough outing. He surrendered six goals on 19 shots, eventually getting the hook.
Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood gave up one goal on six shots. That was a much better performance, but the one that he let in was the one that ultimately decided the game.
Regardless of the needless drama, especially at this point in the season, it’s becoming evident that Wedgewood should be in the crease for Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s been the best goalie on the team this season. As such, Wedgewood is the guy that gives the Avalanche the best chance to win.
Now, this situation doesn’t necessarily mean that Blackwood should ride the bench. But if coach Jared Bednar is serious about going with the hot hand, Wedgewood appears to be the logical choice.
Blackwood should get another look for Avalanche
Make no mistake, Blackwood is a very good goaltender. His numbers this season, while not quite up to last year’s stats, are solid. In 35 games, he’s won 21 to go with a 2.57 GAA and an .899 SV%.
It’s the save percentage that looks a little rough. It especially looks bad considering his .913 SV% from last season.
Part of the issue might have to do with Blackwood dealing with lingering injury issues. The 29-year-old missed the first month or so of this season. He then spent some time on the shelf mid-season. So, there might be room to speculate that something like that could be afflicting the Avalanche netminder.
That said, the Avalanche must give Blackwood another look before the end of the season. In his last five games, Wednesday night’s was the only ca-ca performance. He allowed three goals or fewer in his last four starts, with March 28th’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets being a letdown from his team.
There’s no real concern, at least not now, for Colorado. But Blackwood might be better served getting a couple of extra days off heading into the playoffs. History shows that, unless a team has an insane workhorse like Sergei Bobrovsky or Andrei Vasilevskiy, there is a need for two goalies during a long playoff run.
A healthy and productive Blackwood-Wedgewood tandem is just what the Avalanche need to win the 2026 Stanley Cup.