Blackwood stopped 23 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

Mackenzie Blackwood’s third regulation loss since joining the Avalanche was the first game he allowed more than two goals. Despite making 24 saves on 28 shots, Colorado failed to maintain a three-goal lead and lost 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

His path from prospect to potential Vezina Trophy candidate was non-linear, and included some dark days. But, beyond some better fortune with his health, one of the biggest realizations in his development was his ability to make flashy saves was not going to make him the consistent goaltender he wanted to be.

Since the Colorado Avalanche acquired Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9, the team has been one of the hottest in the NHL, winning nine of 12 games and catapulting themselves into a playoff position in the new year.

Patrolling crease versus Oilers

Jared Bednar wasn’t happy with his team’s performance on Tuesday and made that clear postgame. But the Avalanche were still victorious, erasing a late third-period deficit before getting another overtime game-winning goal from Devon Toews.

The Colorado Avalanche (27-18-1) continue their homestand against the Dallas Stars (28-15-1) in the first of two straight matinee games. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:08 p.m. MT. READ MORE: Rantanen Extension Talks Could Pick Up Over 4 Nations Break Today’s matinee begins arguably the most important three-game stretch of the season thus far.

Devon Toews scored 4:23 into overtime after Artturi Lehkonen tied the game late in regulation, and the Colorado Avalanche began a five-game homestand with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.

Jan. 16, 2025, will be a date long remembered for one of the greatest regular-season comebacks in Edmonton Oilers history. Down 3-0 midway through the first period to the powerful Colorado Avalanche,

The Avalanche face off against the Dallas Stars at 2 p.m. MT in their first afternoon game of the season. The team plays another matinee against the Minnesota Wild on Monday.

Georgiev and the Sharks were playing an Islanders team that had lost five of its last eight games and entered eight points out of a playoff spot on Saturday. The Isles also ranked last in the NHL on both the penalty kill and the power play at 11.9% and penalty kill at 67.0%

There's good news on the horizon for the Colorado Avalanche organization. Their top goaltending prospect, Russian net minder Ilya Nabokov, is aiming to make the leap from Europe to North America as soon as possible.