Dec 15, 2024, 12:39 AM ET
DENVER — Veteran goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 38 shots in his Colorado Avalanche debut, and his new team held off a late Nashville Predators surge to post a 5-2 victory on Saturday night.
Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Artturi Lehkonen scored twice and Ross Colton had a goal for the Avalanche.
Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros finished with 29 saves.
Colorado acquired Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Monday, and he made a great first impression in front of the home fans. He stopped the first 37 shots he faced before Stamkos scored with 6:57 remaining in the third.
“He’s a big man. Obviously, it’s not just his size; he has great ability,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of his new, 6-foot-4 goaltender. “He moves really well in net. And tonight, he managed the game perfectly.”
It’s been a solid run for Blackwood in December; he just didn’t have the wins to show for it while with the struggling Sharks. Last Saturday, in fact, he made 51 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
“It feels great,” Blackwood said after his winning debut. “It’s been a tough week coming here, didn’t skate much, but it was a great game to be a part of, and I’m so thankful we can come out with a win in the first one.”
Evangelista made it a one-goal game on a delayed penalty with 4:52 to go, but MacKinnon and Lehkonen scored empty-net goals in the final two minutes to seal the win.
Midway through the second period, Stamkos got behind Colorado’s defense and skated in alone on net, but Blackwood made the save to keep the game scoreless. Less than three minutes later, Colton gave the Avalanche the lead.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
“It was Blackie’s first taste of some Avalanche hockey,” Colton said. “He was awesome, he made some huge saves, kept us in, and that gave us some momentum.”
Blackwood joined the Sharks last season after spending five years with the New Jersey Devils. He has never appeared in more than 47 games in any one campaign, but Saturday’s win was his 20th appearance this season, and he could be in line for plenty more with Colorado.
“You’ve got to appreciate that. It feels great,” Blackwood said of the Colorado fans chanting his name during the win. “So, hopefully, I can continue to play well in front of them.”
MacKinnon, who now has 50 points for the season, tops in the NHL, is heating up after a slow stretch. He had just one goal in 13 games in the last half of November, but he has scored five in December, including a goal in three straight games. He passed Michel Goulet for third on the franchise list in scoring with 948 points.
Nashville defenseman Roman Josi missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.