As Mackenzie Blackwood’s first playoff adversity arrives, Avalanche needs him to lead the comeback

DALLAS — It’s been a series of firsts for Mackenzie Blackwood lately.

First Stanley Cup Playoffs start, first win, first (and second) overtime loss, first shutout. And now the first real adversity of his postseason career has arrived.

Blackwood allowed fluky goals in the first and last minutes of the opening period Monday night in a Game 5 loss. His Colorado Avalanche had a chance to come back after spotting the Dallas Stars the first three goals, but he spent the third period watching from the bench after allowing five goals on 18 shots.

“Yeah, I mean, don’t read into it too much,” Blackwood said. “Look at what you did good, look at what you did bad. Just try and play a good game next time.”

Blackwood woke up Monday as the NHL’s postseason leader in save percentage (.939). He was second in goals against average (1.60). He was coming off a perfect 23-for-23 night in Game 4, which helped the Avalanche tie this best-of-seven series at 2-2.

Now, he has to rebound from the worst start of his brief playoff career, and one of his worst outings in a Colorado uniform. And it has to happen the first time he faces playoff elimination, Thursday night in Game 6 at Ball Arena.

“Obviously, you don’t want to lose, but at the same time, you can’t judge yourself based on every little thing that happens,” Blackwood said. “You have to trust that you know you have a good game, good foundation, and you know bad stuff may happen, but you can bounce right back and play well again.”

Blackwood’s rough night began before some of the American Airlines Center patrons had found their seats. Dallas defenseman Cody Ceci tried to dump the puck into the Colorado zone after the Stars won the opening face-off, but it hit Evgenii Dadonov’s skate and shot high up in the air. Blackwood tracked it, but four of his teammates had no idea where it went.

Wyatt Johnson also saw where it was going and had a head start into the corner to the left of the goaltender. Johnston snapped a quick shot at Blackwood from near the goal line. Nine seconds into Game 5, the Avs were down 1-0.

“Just a little opening. Figured, ‘Why not? Let’s try it,’ and got lucky enough it went in,” Johnston said. “It’s probably mostly luck. It’s the biggest cliché, I hate to say it, but when you get pucks on net, good things happen. Just sometimes you see something and you try it and you never know.”

The rest of the first period was fine, including a couple of big saves from Blackwood. Being down 1-0, when goalie Jake Oettinger looked sharp, would have been an acceptable result. Then Thomas Harley’s shot from the top of the circles hit Blackwood in the shoulder.

Again, the puck was up in the air. This time, Blackwood couldn’t find it. He tried to cover the potential for it to land in the crease as best he could, instead of looking around to try and find it.

It landed on his back, and then fell into the net, with 45 seconds left in the period.

“First goal is … terrible bounce,” Blackwood said. “I mean, I’ve played that position a zillion times in a game, and 99.9% of the time it doesn’t squeak through. So I don’t know – bad break there. The second one, another bad break, just up in the air and landed between my back and the crossbar like that. So that sucks.

“I’ve had bad goals go in before, but it sucks when there’s two in the first period in a playoff game. That’s unfortunate, but not much you can do about it now. Just try and reset.”

The next two goals weren’t on Blackwood. The last one was a knuckling puck that took a slight deflection. When it’s his night, Blackwood might rob the third or fourth one with a highlight-reel save. When it’s not, that knuckling puck finds a way through.

Just as Oettinger got a break in the third period of Game 4, Blackwood took a seat in Game 5. Scott Wedgewood replaced him and stopped all eight shots he faced, but the Avs got no closer.

“Tough game for him, I thought,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Obviously, to let that first one in (and) the second one lands on his back and goes in. He makes a couple big saves in there, no question. But, he’s part of the same … grouping together with a significant amount of our team tonight.”

So now the Avs arrive at the first do-or-die moment of a 2025 postseason that began with clear expectations: Stanley Cup or bust. This team was rebuilt in-season in a way no Cup contender has been before.

Blackwood was the second of 11 players who arrived midseason. He was the first truly critical piece. He and Wedgewood have transformed the position, from one of weakness to strength.

He has a five-year contract that begins next season. His consistency during the regular season was exactly what the Avalanche needed.

Before Game 5, Dallas coach Pete DeBoer called it “money time,” and his Stars responded in a huge way. It’s time for Blackwood, and plenty of other Avs to do the same.

This will be the biggest game of his career. And if he wins it, the next biggest game of his career will come two days later.

It’s time for another first. The Avs need Blackwood to complete his first playoff comeback.

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