10 Observations<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Blackwood has now stopped seven of nine penalty shots in his career, which is a 78% success rate. I\u2019m genuinely interested in asking him or Scott Wedgewood about the differences between a penalty shot and a shootout.<\/p>\n
Given the difference in how well he does in those situations, there has to be something there.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0Both Blackwood and Wedgewood have matching .920 save percentages. That\u2019s a lot to ask from your goalies, but the team in front of them has done a great job of limiting opportunities against. It\u2019s a perfect marriage, and a nice change from where this team was a year ago.<\/p>\n
Tuesday will be a year since Colorado acquired Blackwood.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0Different games, different heroes. It was Nathan MacKinnon who stepped up in New York. And in this one, it was obviously Blackwood, but also Valeri Nichushkin. The Avs forward tallied the eventual game winner and was also screening the goalie on the Brent Burns goal that made it 1-1.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0Nichushkin played 15:22. That\u2019s low \u2014 very low for him. Having Ross Colton continue to ride shotgun on the second line has allowed coach Jared Bednar the ability to limit Nichushkin\u2019s ice time.<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0This is a good thing. In fact, it\u2019s a great thing. Bednar is basically doing the same thing with Nichushkin that he did with Blackwood when he returned from injury. Blackwood didn\u2019t necessarily do anything to lose the crease, but Wedgewood\u2019s strong start earned him way more starts while Blackwood shook off the rust.<\/p>\n
Colton has earned the opportunity to stay on the second line for now. And Nichushkin, who is playing less than 19 minutes per game for the first time since 2021, is not being overused like he was in years past. The depth this team has, and the fact that so many depth guys are being rewarded for playing well, means Colorado can preserve their top guys in the regular season.<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0Devon Toews is playing 22:40 per game so far, which is the lowest since the Avalanche acquired him from the Islanders in 2020. MacKinnon\u2019s average ice time is below 22 minutes for the first time since the Stanley Cup year.<\/p>\n
These are other examples of what depth has done for this team. It\u2019s a long season. The less they play now, the more you can use them down the road and rely on them in the postseason.<\/p>\n
7.\u00a0Victor Olofsson was stopped on a breakaway, but still recorded an assist earlier on the Nichushkin goal. He\u2019s been a great two-way depth player all year and quietly has 18 points in 29 games. That type of production has allowed the Avs to spread the ice time down the lineup.<\/p>\n
8.\u00a0Speaking of strong depth production, Parker Kelly has been an absolute beast. He looks way more comfortable this year in all aspects and it\u2019s largely because he\u2019s not starting the year at center like he did last season.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s already up to six goals and 12 points, and is not far off from his 19-point career-best with the Avs last year. He has eight points in his last 15 games.<\/p>\n
9.\u00a0Burns\u2019 goal was the 265th of his career, which passed Nick Lidstrom for the ninth most among defensemen in NHL history.<\/p>\n
10.\u00a0Seven of Blackwood\u2019s 24 saves came on Travis Konecny, who scored once on eight shots.<\/p>\n
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