Blackwood acclimates quickly to the next level with Devils
NEWARK >> A young, Canadian-born goaltender with the initials “M.B.” and the number 29 on his back is making a big impact for the New Jersey Devils in his first few starts.
Perhaps you’ve heard this story before. No, Mackenzie Blackwood isn’t the next Martin Brodeur (who of course would famously wear the number 30 after making four starts using 29 in 1991-92), but he is unquestionably the franchise’s next starter in net for the foreseeable future.
The 22-year-old has seemingly seized the number one job in Newark after posting a 1.25 goals against average and .963 save percentage in his first six appearances for the Devils, including back-toback shutouts at home against the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks, which are the first of his NHL career.
After two and a half seasons in the minors, how has Blackwood, who was taken by the Devils with the 42nd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, gotten acclimated to the game’s highest level both so well and so quickly?
“I think it’s just the way the team plays defense,” he said after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Carolina.
“They make your job a lot easier by giving you the shot, giving you the reads, giving you the short side on power play onetimers. These guys are so structured and so clean and clear with their reads, that it’s really easy for you to make a read off of them and know what your job is. It’s a combination of everything coming together with them making good, smart decisions and me just reading off of that.”
Ever since making his debut in relief of struggling starter Keith Kinkaid on December 18, Blackwood has given the Devils the kind of stability in net that they’d been lacking all season. Kinkaid’s .901 save percentage entering Wednesday night’s games was tied for 13th worst among the 52 qualifying goaltenders, while Cory Schneider’s .852 mark in nine winless appearances would be dead last if he had enough minutes to qualify prior to being placed on injured reserve with an abdominal strain.
The past two weeks have been something of a whirlwind for Blackwood, who was named the NHL’s third star of the week not long after toiling in relative anonymity with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils.
“I’m thankful to be here, thankful to have the opportunity I have,” he said. “But, it’s a day-to-day business and you can’t get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. I know that’s a cliché, but it’s actually very true. If you get too up on your highs, you’re going to get complacent and maybe stop working on the little details. If you get too low, you won’t have the confidence or trust in yourself that you need to do your job. I just need to come in here every day and do the best I can.”
Certainly, Blackwood typically tends to let his play do most of the talking, but his teammates aren’t shy in raving about what he’s been able to bring to the team over the past two weeks.
“He’s been really good,” said captain Andy Greene. “He’s really calm back there, he’s really square. Big goalie; big, athletic guy . ... It’s been really fun to watch him grow here in these past two weeks or so. He’s earned it, he’s worked really hard and done a really good job. Honestly, you’d see him a little bit here and there in training camp and in practice a little bit, but once he gets in the games, he plays extremely well.”
“It’s a crazy up and down,” Dubois said. “I thought (New York’s) third goal was kind of my fault, and then two shifts later they make it what would have been 4-2, so you’re kind of down on yourself a little bit. They reverse it because of an offside, so it’s like a message that you got lucky this time, make it count. Zach scored a really important goal. It was kind of a rollercoaster.”