If you missed out on Tuesday night’s Colorado Avalanche game against the Mammoth, you missed a great performance. A 1-0 performance. A 32-save .100 save percentage performance. It wasn’t pretty on either offensive side, with Samuel Girard scoring the only goal of the game, but a win’s a win. It wouldn’t have been a win if it wasn’t for the Avs’ goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
It just blew my mind how athletic Wedgewood is. We knew that coming into Tuesday night’s game, but he put it on display for all to see, again.
Wedgewood improved his record to 16-1-4 this season, leading the Avalanche with a .924 save percentage while allowing an average of just 2.01 goals per game this season. Along with Mackenzie Blackwood’s performance this season (11-1-0-1, 2.16 GAA, .924 save percentage), the Avalanche have the best goaltending situation in the league. You really have no worries during any game. Sure, at some point, the Avs might lose a couple of games in a row, but I really feel like this team has done enough where you don’t really have to worry if they fall off a little bit.
Scott Wedgewood makes a strong bid for Team Canada for 2026 Olympics
Nobody can deny that the Colorado Avalanche are the best team right now. Nobody should deny the fact that Wedgewood is hotter than any goaltender on any other team right now. If they do, they’re kidding themselves (respectfully).
I would love for the Avalanche to put the hammer on every team every single game, but this was not the night that they did that. In a game that was close for all 60 minutes, Wedgewood had to be on his game and couldn’t afford to have an off night. He didn’t have one at all.
While there could have been a game-tying goal by the Mammoth, there was no evidence that the play in question was in the net at all. That could have been interesting, having the Avs be forced to pick up their offense a little bit more.
Wedgewood did his job. He kept the Avs in the game. He’s been doing that throughout the entire season. Besides a couple of games in which he was taken out, he’s played lights-out for the Avs. Most of the time, the pucks that went into his net weren’t his fault.
According to Money Puck, Wedgewood has 12.5 Goals Saved Above Expected, 44 goals against (14th), a save percentage of .962 on unblocked shots, xLow Danger unblocked shot attempt % of .973, xMedium Danger unblocked shot attempt % of .916, and xHigh Danger unblocked shot attempt % of .797. That last one doesn’t seem good, but look at his record, and any bad thing about his play (as few as there are) can be forgiven.
If I were to tag Wedgewood with one label this season, it would be “clutch”. Sure, you can probably make an argument for the other couple of Canadian goaltenders to make the 2026 Olympics, but I’m fully onboard with Wedgewood. His focus? 100 percent there. His athleticicism? 100 percent there.
If the NHLPA chooses against sending Wedgewood to the Olympics, there should be a riot. The Olympics are only ever four years, and that means that there are very few opportunities for players to go. It would be a dream for Wedgewood, I’m sure. He would be joining Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews on Team Canada.
Do the right thing, Olympic deciders. Send Wedgewood to the tournament.