The Colorado Avalanche took home a win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon. It was a long game that consisted of a lot of back and forths, but not in the sense of goals. The game ended 2-0 for the Avalanche, with one getting past Casey DeSmith, and the other being an empty-net goal.
On the other side, for the Avalanche, Scott Wedgewood stole the show with 17. It was Wedgewood’s 28th win of the season. Wedgewood has made it clear that he should be Colorado’s starter in the first round of the 2026 postseason.
Shockingly, he has yet to really be mentioned by national media as a Vezina trophy candidate (except for some sites), though Avalanche fans all around the world know that he should at least be mentioned. When you consider how the Avs play with him in net, there should be no question that he deserves the recognition.
The amount of crazy, difficult saves he makes on a nightly basis is incredible. He’s consistently bailed Colorado out this season.
On the broadcast this afternoon, ESPN analyst, and former Avalanche defenseman, Erik Johnson acknowledged that Wedgewood is the likely starter.
It’s not a shocking development, but the fact that the ESPN crew mentioned it is pretty noteworthy. The whole NHL is aware of how Wedgewood has played up to this point, and to be able to come in in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood on numerous occasions this season helps his case, too.
The Avalanche are fortunate to have Wedgewood and although Jared Bednar kind of hinted that he wanted to get Blackwood into more games heading to the postseason, it doesn’t appear that that idea will stick. There is no way that Blackwood should see more action than Wedgewood going forward.
That’s not what the Avalanche had planned when they traded for both goalies, but it’s the way things are going right now that matters. Hopefully we see elite goaltending from both players in the postseason, but at this point, the player that should start in the crease is obvious.