Blackwood is new in net for playoff-experienced Avalanche and seeks a 2-0 series lead over Stars

DALLAS AP Mackenzie Blackwood is already fitting right in with these Colorado Avalanche in their eighth consecutive postseason and a roster filled with playoff experience that includes players who were part of their Stanley Cup title three years ago Even though the -year-old goalie has now played in all of one event in the NHL playoffs When you have a guy like that back there that gives you that confidence He s very calm in the net so you know if you do something or make a mistake he s going to be there noted veteran defenseman Cale Makar the Conn Smythe Trophy winner Hopefully he can continue to do it because he s a huge piece of our group The Avalanche acquired Blackwood from San Jose in a exchange on December and signed him to a new million five-year contract right after Christmas They now have a - lead in their first-round Western Conference series against the Dallas Stars after he made saves in his postseason debut He s an amazing goalie I have a lot of trust in him commented Nathan MacKinnon the - NHL MVP who had two goals and an assist in the series-opening - win It could have easily been - It s a comprehensively different battle with his saves Event is Monday night in Dallas This is the eighth postseason series in a row since that the Stars lost the opener They still made it to the Western Conference Final each of the past two seasons and last year did that even after losing the first two games of their opening-round series at home against Vegas Yeah obviously we don t want to be in this situation Stars forward Wyatt Johnston revealed But we ve had a lot of experience being down - in a series so I think that gives us a positive note that we know we re able to come back from it Colorado went ahead to stay Saturday night with the tournament s first total when MacKinnon got the assist on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen who was following up his shot when the puck ricocheted off his left skate into the top corner of the net while falling to the ice after a collision with Mavrik Bourque That reviewed goal came right after Blackwood stopped four shots in rapid succession at the other end Obviously a great goalie big goalie Johnston disclosed All those playoff cliches of you know getting to the net getting pucks there getting in front of his eyes getting those second chances in front of the net just do a better job of that Dallas only goal came from Roope Hintz on a power play in the third period when Blackwood was without his stick after it got caught in the side of the net Blackwood had played in regular-season games over seven seasons with three different teams including games for Colorado after being acquired from San Jose He made his NHL debut in - the first of his five seasons with the New Jersey Devils While Blackwood called it pretty special to decisively get into a playoff meeting and could feel the extra intensity in the rink he took the same approach he had for all of his other games in net I mean you have to go to the same job I don t want to change things about my championship revealed Blackwood who was - - with a goals-against average and save percentage after joining Colorado Enough can t be declared about the saves that he made center Charlie Coyle announced Every time we needed a big save he was there to keep us tied keep us ahead Every step of the way it was they got a chance we had a little breakdown and he shut the door You need that in playoff time to win these tight games Coyle another of the eight in-season trades made by Colorado certainly knows that since he has now made the playoffs in each of his first NHL seasons He made six postseasons with Minnesota and six more with Boston which dealt him to the Avs at the March deadline AP NHL playoffs https apnews com hub stanley-cup and https apnews com hub nhl Source