Sharks’ Mackenzie Blackwood Off to Hot Start

The San Jose Sharks may have had a difficult start to the season on paper, but one positive has been the play of Mackenzie Blackwood. Even though his save percentage (SV%) is currently at a fairly high .926, it doesn’t reflect how strong his play has been through two games. The Sharks acquired him for a sixth-round draft pick during the offseason, and the biggest reason for that was they hoped he could play at the level we’ve seen so far this season. He was seen as one of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL after he was drafted and although he showed glimpses of how good he could be previously, he was never able to do it consistently. 

Two Strong Starts

Blackwood’s debut performance against the Colorado Avalanche will go down as one of the greatest debuts in Sharks’ history. He was a minute and 28 seconds away from a 50-save shutout. Not only was he making a lot of saves, but he made a couple of incredible ones including robbing Cale Makar in the third period on what seemed like a certain goal. Unfortunately for San Jose, Makar was able to score an equalizer with an extra skater and push the game into overtime. The Avalanche would then go on to win the game in the shootout, in a massively disappointing loss for the Sharks.

After the game, David Quinn was asked about Blackwood’s performance and stated “[He was] outstanding. He’s so big, and he’s so calm, and there was an elite performance. When asked about the positive reinforcement he received from Quinn, Blackwood said “Sometimes you can do all those things and not get rewarded for it. But eventually, you know, if you keep doing the right stuff, then eventually it’ll turn, and it’s nice to see some positive results go my way after working pretty hard.”

The second game started off very strong, but the Carolina Hurricanes were able to sustain heavy pressure, and toward the end of the game, Blackwood seemed to run out of steam. With that being said, the numbers don’t reflect how well he played during that game. He made some big saves early on, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get much help in front of him. It’s also worth noting that only two goals were scored at even strength. These are the only two that he’s given up so far this season when it’s 5-on-5. The rest were scored either on the power play or in Jaccob Slavin’s case, while the Hurricanes were shorthanded. The Sharks took way too many penalties and were heavily outshot the entirety of the game. While the score was close for the majority of the contest, it’s clear that Carolina was outplaying San Jose in nearly every aspect. Blackwood did his best to keep his team in the mix, but after roughly 50 minutes, it became difficult to do so. 

What Needs to Happen Moving Forward

One thing is clear from Blackwood’s two performances so far this season. He’s dialed in and ready to play at a high level. He nearly stole the game against Colorado, which the Sharks certainly deserved to lose. While his performance in Carolina wasn’t as impressive as his first one, he played well against them too. The Sharks need to help him out though. Facing 94 shots in his first two games with the organization doesn’t bode well for the future. It certainly made for entertaining hockey, but when a goaltender is facing that much pressure more often than not, they’ll eventually crack.

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It’s worth noting that Marc-Edouard Vlasic left the game against Colorado early and was out of the lineup against Carolina, which didn’t help. However, there are a lot of defensemen who were on the verge of making the lineup and were unable to do so in the end. These players will get an opportunity to step into the lineup and prove that they belong. Nikolai Knyzhov, Ty Emberson, and Nikita Okhotiuk (when healthy) are on the verge of being NHL regulars but need to prove that they can make that jump now. Henry Thrun tried to do so but was recently assigned to the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL). 

If the defense in front of Blackwood improves, it’ll make it easier for him to perform at a high level consistently. He’s not going to be able to make 40 or more saves a night every night, and if that’s the expectation for this season, he’s essentially set up for failure. Short-handed goals will also be a consistent possibility as long as the coaching staff sticks with the five-forward power play unit. Of course, it’s also worth noting that the Sharks have started the season against four of the most dangerous teams in the NHL. 

Related: Sharks’ Henry Thrun Won’t Be With Barracuda For Very Long

Blackwood has had a strong start to the season for the Sharks, but for it to be sustainable, he’s going to need help from the team in front of him. The defense needs to start suppressing more shots and prevent odd-man rushes otherwise Blackwood’s play will suffer as a result. Overall though, so far we’ve seen exactly what the Sharks management team wanted when they traded for Blackwood. The key moving forward will be consistency, especially considering he’s sharing the net with Kaapo Kahkonen and likely won’t get the majority of games this season.