Mackenzie Blackwood has had quite the year for himself. Since being demoted from his AHL club to the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder on January 1st, 2018, Blackwood has surged his way back up the ladder in the 2018-19 season as a call-up by the New Jersey Devils.
A combination of injuries and poor play have ravaged the Devils’ goaltending depth, placing Blackwood in position for an opportunity, and when that opportunity came, he ran with it. After shutting out the Vancouver Canucks to put a cap on his 2018, Blackwood has actually become the first goalie with two straight years since John Gibson did the same, exactly three seasons ago.
The crazy thing? Both goalies did so December 29th and 31st of their respective season.
With Cory Schneider locked into a lengthy contract through 2022 (and currently on injured reserve), the Devils certainly could benefit from production in goal, especially on a bargain. If Blackwood, fresh off being named the NHL’s third star of the week, can sustain this level of play, it would certainly benefit the team.
