The Colorado Avalanche have been dominant in nearly every facet of the game. From a high-scoring offense to a tenacious defense, the team has been flying high, especially since the Olympic break. A major part of why this team has been so dominant is the team's confidence in their goaltending. Both Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood have been nothing short of amazing this season. And the Avs should continue to ride the both of them into the playoffs.
Goalie tandems in the playoffs
Historically, most NHL teams who have had success with a two goalie system in the regular season tend to lean on the "1A" goalie over the "backup". Consider the 2022-2023 Boston Bruins, who also had a dominant regular season anchored by two goalies, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Below is a quick look at their regular season stats.
Player | GS | Record | Save % | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Linus Ullmark | 48 | 40-6-1 | .938 | 1.89 | 2 |
Jeremy Swayman | 33 | 24-6-4 | .920 | 2.27 | 4 |
If we compare that to the current stats of the Avs' goaltenders, we'll see some similarities.
Player | GS | Record | Save % | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott Wedgewood | 38 | 26-5-6 | .916 | 2.19 | 2 |
Mackenzie Blackwood | 31 | 21-9-1 | .905 | 2.42 | 3 |
The Boston Bruins went into the playoffs riding this goaltending tandem and opted to start Linus Ullmark through the first six games. Ullmark had three games where he allowed four or more goals, leading the hockey media questioning why Boston and head coach Jim Montgomery refused to give Swayman a shot earlier than a decisive Game 7. Ultimately, the results were not what you'd want out of the record-setting season that Boston had.
If Boston had continued to stick with the regular season time share in net, the series might have ended differently. Swayman wouldn't have been thrown into his first postseason action in a high pressure Game 7. Ullmark could've gotten some rest in between starts after one of the rough games he had.
The Avalanche should avoid the Bruins mistake
With that recent history in mind, the Avalanche should continue to play both Wedgewood and Blackwood into the playoff and stay away from the idea that you have to play your "starter" in the postseason. Considering that Wedgewood leads the league in both save percentage and GAA, he deserves to see time in the playoffs. Blackwood is considered by most to be the starter, and that's true, but the Avs have some history with a backup goalie providing stability in net during a postseason run.
When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, they relied on both Darcy Kuemper and backup Pavel Francouz. Of course, that was of necessity due to the eye injury Kuemper suffered during the first round series against the Nashville Predators. Similar splits in goalie starts due to injury can be found, such as Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup run where Marc-Andre Fleury started 15 games and Matt Murray started 10 after Fleury went down with an injury. In 2011, Philadelphia started the playoffs with Brian Boucher and then suffered an injury. The Flyers then turned the net over to Michael Leighton on the way to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
The Avs shouldn't wait for one of their goaltenders to get injured. Colorado needs to continue to stick to the formula that has worked for them all season long.