Avalanche’s Blackwood a Darkish Horse for 2025 Vezina Trophy – The Hockey Writers Avalanche Goaltending Newest Information, Evaluation & Extra

Heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, one of many greatest storylines surrounding the Colorado Avalanche was the state of their goaltending. The 2023-24 season noticed Colorado rank 18th by workforce save share (.897 SV%) and twelfth out of 16 groups within the postseason (.883). The workforce overcame Alexandar Georgiev’s first-round implosion in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets, however fell to the Dallas Stars within the second spherical.

That development continued by way of the primary half of 2024-25, with Georgiev (.874 SV% in 18 video games) and backup Justus Annunen (.872 SV% in 11 video games) each failing to offer safety within the crease and threatening one other prime 12 months of the workforce’s gifted core. In response, a pair of trades headlined by Georgiev being despatched to the San Jose Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood, and Annunen heading to the Nashville Predators for veteran journeyman Scott Wedgewood had been consummated.

After almost two months’ price of post-trade outcomes, there isn’t any query that the twin acquisitions of Blackwood and Wedgewood have turned the Avalanche’s season round and put them again right into a place to problem for the Stanley Cup. Blackwood specifically has been exemplary behind a better-organized and extra gifted defensive corps, and has rocketed into the Vezina Trophy dialogue.

Avalanche Dominant Since Blackwood Commerce

The Avalanche are 15-7-1 because the first domino fell with the Annunen-Wedgewood deal (Nov. 30), and 11-4-1 since Blackwood’s debut on Dec. 14, a 5-2 win over the Predators. Blackwood has allowed greater than two objectives in a single sport on just one event as a member of the Avalanche, rising victorious in 9 of these 13 showings.

Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado Avalanche (Derek Cain/Getty Pictures)

If one assumes that Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Anthony Stolarz (Toronto Maple Leafs), Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals), and Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles Kings) are the 2025 Vezina Trophy front-runners as the one certified goalies forward of Blackwood by SV%, the award voters should take into account every goalie’s respective defensive environments.

The Capitals and Kings each rank forward of the Avalanche by anticipated objectives in opposition to per-60-minutes, whereas the Jets and Leafs usually are not far behind. None of these goalies can declare that they play in as demanding an surroundings as Blackwood did to start out the season, and his numbers post-trade have proven that, when put in a workforce of comparable high quality to the opposite Vezina candidates, he deserves to be within the dialogue.

Amongst goalies to have performed in not less than 10 video games this season, Blackwood ranks fifth in SV% (.918), sixteenth in goals-against common (2.54 GAA), and fifth in objectives saved above anticipated (plus-19.9 GSAx). It’s unlikely that Blackwood can maintain the .932 SV% he’s posted in 13 video games with the Avalanche all season lengthy, however doing so ought to put him firmly within the Vezina dialog as a favourite, not only a darkish horse.

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Whereas he has benefited from enjoying behind a stronger Avalanche protection, Blackwood began the season with the defensively porous Sharks, and maintained pristine numbers contemplating the context. They both rank final or second-last within the league in pictures, anticipated objectives, and scoring probabilities allowed in all conditions, however he was capable of put up a .911 SV% and save over 13 objectives above anticipated. Each marks would nonetheless rank inside the prime 15 league-wide, but Blackwood has upped his sport considerably since shifting to Denver.

Since Dec. 14 (Blackwood’s Avalanche debut), the 28-year-old netminder ranks third in wins (9), fourth in SV% (.932), and second in GSAx (plus-13.2) amongst certified goalies (minimal 10 video games performed). The second half of the season will decide which of the early clubhouse leaders for the Vezina are for actual, and which have had their circumstances propped up by unsustainable puck luck.

There’s an argument that, together with Thompson and Kuemper, Blackwood needs to be one in every of Canada’s goalies on the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, however that’s a dialog for one more day.

Blackwood Has Avalanche Difficult for Western Convention Crown

The Avalanche at the moment occupy the primary wild card spot within the Western Convention with 57 factors in 47 video games and have constructed up six- (Calgary Flames; second wild card) and seven-point leads (Vancouver Canucks; one level out of second wild card) on the groups chasing them within the playoff race. Although each maintain two video games in hand on the Avalanche, Colorado is in a a lot better place than they had been at first of December.

Colorado might erase the eight-point hole between themselves and the Central Division-leading Jets (65 factors in 47 video games) over the second half of the season, however incomes home-ice benefit within the first spherical (they’re two factors behind the Stars for second within the Central) needs to be the primary aim.

Even when the Avalanche enter the 2025 NHL Playoffs as a decrease seed with out home-ice benefit, it’s inconceivable to disclaim that it is a totally different workforce. Having the workforce’s ahead group totally wholesome is one factor, however being assured within the man guarding the web is a profit which can’t be understated, particularly when he ought to end the season as a Vezina finalist.

Information courtesy of Evolving Hockey, Pure Stat Trick, and the NHL.

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