The Colorado Avalanche are ready for the postseason. The team has concluded the regular season after their matchup against the Seattle Kraken, and prior to the conclusion of the game, it was announced that three Avalanche players have earned awards for their efforts throughout the year.
Prior to the game, Mark Moser announced that goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood have won the Jennings award, given to the goalie(s) who finishes the season with the highest save percentage. Blackwood finishes the season with a save percentage of .904, while Wedgewood finishes the year with a save percentage of .921 and GAA of 2.06, both of which lead the league.
Wedgewood has really stepped up his game. He started the season in place of Blackwood after Blackwood was recovering from offseason surgery. Wedgewood had multiple stints where he won five games in a row, and started the season 5-0-2. Very early on, fans were raving about Wedgewood and how he should be considered for the Vezina trophy, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for most of the national media.
If it turns out that he’s not even considered for the official voting, he’ll have a chip on his shoulder. Maybe if he has big contributions in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’ll wake voters up.
Blackwood did struggle at times this season and one reason appeared to be his rust for missing the first chunk of the season. He was rusty, but after his first game of the season, he won six in a row. He also had a seven-game win streak almost immediately after.
The Jennings award goes to the team with the best save percentage in the league. It’s not a player award, but the goalies are the main reason for it. It’s also awesome to have the team Blackwood and Wedgewood have in front of them, with some of the best players in the world on their side.
Nathan MacKinnon wins another trophy
Nathan MacKinnon has won the Hart trophy, a Stanley Cup trophy, Ted Lindsay, the Calder Memorial trophy, and Lady Byng trophy. He’s also been named to a Quarter-Century team by both the Avalanche and the NHL itself.
He’s added another one to his accolades, as he was announced as the Rocket Richard recipient during the season finale against the Kraken.
The Rocket Richard trophy is given to the player who finishes the year with the most goals of any skater. He didn’t suit up for the season finale, but Connor McDavid, who also played Thursday night, had a steep hill to climb to get ahead of MacKinnon.
He’s third in points this season with 127—three behing Nikita Kucherov and 21 behind McDavid. So, who should be the winner of the Hart this year? I’d lean MacKinnon, of course.
The Avalanche drop the puck in their first playoff game of the season on Sunday against the Kings.
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