Mackenzie Blackwood ‘elite’ in Avalanche’s Game 1 win over Stars ...Middle East

DALLAS — Mackenzie Blackwood has had some long, busy nights playing on some hockey teams that didn’t win all that often.

Now he plays for a very good team that expects to win quite often. It’s just the pressure to win and perform. It’s often a different cadence in his workload.

Blackwood was the star in Game 1 for the Colorado Avalanche, making 23 saves Saturday night in a 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars. In his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, he didn’t face a lot of shots, but he did face plenty of high-quality chances.

“There are nights where we have the puck a lot of the time. That can be challenging for a goalie,” Avs backup goalie Scott Wedgewood said. “We’ve had times throughout the year where we’ve dominated play and all of a sudden the other team has a chance and you’ve got to be dialed in. It’s those moments, and kind of the repetition that we’ve had throughout the year obviously gets you prepared for that.

“You know the playoffs are going to be tough. We saw a couple of goals that are just some tips and deflections (tonight). So just stay dialed and trust your process and if he keeps playing like that, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Colorado put forth a strong defensive effort for large stretches of Game 1. It’s a familiar pattern. The Avs look great defensively for much of the game. They suppress quality chances … until they don’t.

Some of those chances against come on counterattacks. Dallas didn’t get a shot for nearly four minutes in Game 1, but then Roope Hintz had a glorious chance. So Blackwood’s first-ever playoff save was a memorable one.

The Avalanche had a 2-0 lead late in the second period and had just scored on the first half of a double-minor penalty. But then the Stars had another incredible chance, this time shorthanded. Blackwood made a huge save on Sam Steel.

That would have been a huge momentum-shifting goal. But it wasn’t.

“Enough can’t be said about the saves that he made tonight. He was awesome,” Avs center Charlie Coyle said. “Every time we needed a big save, he was there to keep us tied, keep us ahead. Every step of the way it was, they got a chance, we had a little breakdown, and he shut the door. You need that in playoff time to win these tight games. It’s a game of inches and he earned it.”

While the Avs were pretty stout defensively for two periods at even strength, the Stars were dynamic on the power play. Dallas had three extra-man opportunities — one in each period.

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The Stars generated more high-danger scoring chances (seven) in four minutes on the power play in the first two periods than they did in 30 minutes at even strength (six). Eventually, they did beat Blackwood, with four seconds left in the third man advantage.

But that did little to dampen a night to remember in Blackwood’s first playoff start.

“I thought it was elite,” Wedgewood said. “I told him before he went out there that I believe in him and go do your thing. He’s been lights out since he got here. The whole room’s got confidence in him, the coaches, the goalie department – everyone here does.

“He did a hell of a job tonight. I mean, a tip goal without his stick was all he gave them basically. He had a couple of unreal recovery saves and he did what he needed to do for us.”

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