Coming off a dominant 9-2 win over the lowly Calgary Flames, the Avalanche seemed to be finding a groove again as the playoffs approach. With the lineup finally getting healthy, it is just a matter of playing consistently until the playoffs finally arrive.
Unfortunately, the Vancouver Canucks had other ideas. The team with the best odds to land the first overall pick got on the Avalanche quickly and ultimately held on in a crazy back-and-forth contest, dealing the Avalanche an 8-6 loss.
Scott Wedgewood is Now the Unquestioned Game 1 Starter
The thing that immediately jumps out about this game is the performance of Mackenzie Blackwood. It was an abysmal night for Blackwood, who allowed six goals on 19 shots before being pulled towards the end of the second period.
There haven’t been rumors of an injury, so it seems like he’s battling a crisis of confidence. He was shaky against Winnipeg as well and has given up four or more goals four times since Mar. 6. Against the Canucks, it looked like he was fighting virtually every puck that came his way.
Wedgewood came in and nearly helped the team come back. If there were any questions about who to play in Game 1, they should be answered. Blackwood will get a few more starts to try to figure things out, but the job should be Wedgewood’s to lose.
A Big Milestone for Nate
In a night with 14 combined goals, there is one that stands out from the rest. Just 1:22 into the contest, Nathan MacKinnon ripped a shot from just inside the blueline for his 50th goal of the season, the second time in three seasons he has hit the mark.
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MacKinnon, in a dogged scoring race with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, continues to play with an almost unmatched intensity. During the frantic comeback at the beginning of the third period, MacKinnon had a few rushes that took the breath away from fans.
For the past nine seasons, fans have been able to watch one of the truly special talents in the league. This is MacKinnon’s fourth consecutive 100-point season and one of the best of his career – and it isn’t done yet.
Defense Leading the Charge
When Sam Malinski scored his sixth of the season with just over four minutes to go in the second period, it didn’t feel like much. After all, the score was still 6-3 in favor of the Canucks and Blackwood had been pulled just 0:22 earlier.
After Parker Kelly scored just 0:14 into the third period, the tension started to rise. Malinski would follow up Brent Burns’ 11th goal of the season with his second on the night, the game suddenly tied with just over six minutes to go.
Though the comeback would ultimately fall short, it just shows yet again that the Avalanche are capable of getting contributions from 100% of the lineup. On a night in which the team scored six times, the vaunted duo of MacKinnon and Martin Necas had one point between them. If that doesn’t scream “depth scoring,” then nothing does.
A Concerning Loss
Losing to just one of two teams officially eliminated from the playoffs is always a cause for concern, especially when you lead the NHL in points. While isn’t the kind of loss that makes you re-evaluate everything, it does point out a significant issue with Blackwood.
The Avalanche thankfully have an answer in Wedgewood and need to work on refining their team defense in the final few games of the season. It is still very much “Cup or bust” for this team, though the overall confidence level took a slight hit on Wednesday night.
