• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
New Jersey Devils
Devils Goaltending

Devils Have Their Spark in Blackwood

By Alex Chauvancy December 29th, 2018

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp


Goaltending has been hard to come by for the New Jersey Devils in 2018-19. They have the third-worst save percentage in the league and that’s due to the struggles of Keith Kinkaid and Cory Schneider, the latter of whom hasn’t won a game in a calendar year.

With Schneider returning to injured reserve over a week ago, the team called up Mackenzie Blackwood from their AHL affiliate. He has made four appearances (two starts) and has impressed. He’s given them a spark and is making his case to be the Devils’ starting goaltender for the foreseeable future.

Blackwood’s Climb Back to the Top

It’s been a long and winding road for Blackwood since the Devils drafted him in 2015. He had a stellar plus-one draft season in 2015-16, when he posted a .921 save percentage (SV%) with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. He made his pro debut in 2016-17 and posted a .907 SV% with the AHL’s Albany Devils in 36 games.

Blackwood’s second pro season was unrelenting. The Binghamton Devils, following their departure from Albany, weren’t very good, but there was no excuse for his play either. He had an .882 SV% and was eventually demoted to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL, where he managed to get things back on track.

His ECHL demotion may have served as a wake-up call. Before his call-up, he had a .911 SV% in the AHL this season and showed noticeable improvement. His improved play has carried over to the NHL, and then some. He has a .939 SV% in his four appearances, which was helped by a 40-save performance for his first NHL win against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. He also has a 3.17 goals saved above average (GSAA) in all situations, best among Devils goalies.

Mackenzie Blackwood

Mackenzie Blackwood at Devils 2017 Development Camp. (Photo Credit: Amanda Aldrich)

Blackwood has been impressive at five-on-five as well with a .947 SV%. He’s also making the saves he needs to. He has stopped every low-danger shot he’s faced and has a .939 SV% against medium-danger shots. Both of those are fantastic, but there is a chance they come down a bit. He has a .923 expected save percentage, so it’d be fair to expect regression at some point.

The numbers are nice, but he passes the eye test too. He’s calm and collected in net. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he’s an imposing figure between the pipes. His positioning is sound and, as Damon Severson will tell you, Blackwood’s a heck of an athlete. “Yeah, he’s a freak of an athlete. His legs are huge, big man. He’s really well built. He’s a freak for sure.” Severson told Amanda Stein of NHL.com.

Kinkaid, Schneider Not Cutting It

It’s not a secret that Kinkaid and Schneider haven’t been able to get the job done. Since his 4-0-0 start, Kinkaid has an .892% and an 8-10-6 record. He has a quality start percentage of 44.4 on the season, which is below the league average. He’s also given up four or more goals in eight of his last 12 starts. That doesn’t cut it for an NHL goalie.

Schneider’s performance has been even worse. He has an .852 SV%, is 0-5-1 on the season and has a minus-8.96 GSAA, ninth-worst in the NHL, among goaltenders with at least 200 minutes played. His struggles date back to last season, as he has an 0-15-3 record in the regular season since Dec. 27, 2017.

Keith Kinkaid

New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid (1) blocks the puck as New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) and left wing Anthony Beauvillier (18) skate in during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Neither goaltender’s numbers are acceptable at this level. The Devils have put up decent five-on-five numbers this season but have been brought down by bad goaltending. The result is the team falling to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. They’re 10 points of a wild-card spot and 11 points out an automatic bid in the Metropolitan Division.

It’s a lot of ground to make up, even with more than half the season remaining. If the Devils had received the goaltending they needed earlier, things could be much different. The hope is Blackwood can be a solution and at least help give them a chance to get back in the picture.

Related: 6 Devils Prospects to be Excited About

Blackwood Is the Devils’ Best Option

Time will tell if Blackwood is the real deal. But given the Devils situation, and the way he has played, he’s the team’s best option in net. They haven’t thrown in the towel on their season yet, so giving him minutes makes sense. He’s given them a lift they haven’t had in net all season.

There’s also a bit of long-term thought that goes into playing Blackwood. I don’t know if the Devils will be able to count on Schneider going forward given how he’s played the last year. Kinkaid will also be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Chances are one or both of those goalies may not be in New Jersey next season.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood

New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) makes a save during the third period of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center on Dec. 18, 2018. (Photo by Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

If Blackwood shows his NHL performance isn’t a fluke, it’ll relieve the nerves of anyone who thought the Devils’ goaltending situation was in dire straits. They’d still need to find someone to back him up, and that could still be one of Schneider or Kinkaid, but at least the Devils would know they have a viable option in Blackwood heading into 2019-20. That’s not something they could have said prior to this season.

*Advanced stats from Corsica.Hockey

  • Tags
  • MacKenzie Blackwood
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 16th 10:05 AM
Arizona Coyotes

3 Stars For Gila River Arena in Coyotes Opener

Jan 16th 9:55 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Retooling: They Obviously Aren’t All In

Jan 16th 9:45 AM
Calgary Flames

Flames Struggle to Play With the Lead Again in First Loss of the Season

Jan 16th 9:35 AM
Commentary

Marleau Leads Players, Coaches Seeking NHL Milestones in 2020-21

Jan 16th 9:25 AM
Los Angeles Kings

Kings Look for Redemption After Opening Night Loss to the Wild

Jan 16th 9:15 AM
Washington Capitals

Vitek Vanecek: The Capitals’ New Backup Goalie

Jan 16th 9:05 AM
St Louis Blues

Blues Who Have Point-per-Game Potential

Jan 16th 8:55 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Must Stick with Edmundson over Mete for Now

Jan 16th 8:45 AM
Carolina Hurricanes

3 Headlines After Hurricanes First Game

Jan 16th 8:35 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Today in Hockey History: Jan. 16

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information