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New Jersey Devils Did MacKenzie Blackwood Dirty In His First Start

By Vincent Parise

COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 20: Columbus Blue Jackets center Riley Nash (20) attempts a shot as New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) defends the goal in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils on December 20, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 20: Columbus Blue Jackets center Riley Nash (20) attempts a shot as New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) defends the goal in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils on December 20, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Things have not been going as planed for the New Jersey Devils so far this season. That fact made it very exciting to find out that 22 year old goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood would make his first career NHL start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Columbus.

What do NHL teams ask for from their goaltender? They ask for them to make saves that give their team a chance to win. The good teams have goalies that do that more often than not. Nobody expects a goalie to never give up a goal, especially on defensive breakdowns, while killing a penalty, or even a penalty shot. More on that later.

Blackwood played so much better than anybody ever could have predicted in his first career start. He made 36 saves on 38 shots as the Devils were defeated by the Jackets 2-1 in regulation. The game winning goal for Columbus? A penalty shot by their teams leading goal scorer, Cam Atkinson. He was awarded a penalty shot because he was hooked on a breakaway. Any other goalie in the NHL likely would have given up the same penalty shot goal to Atkinson with the very nice move he made.

Outside of the penalty shot, there was also another thing that contributed to the loss. That is lack of scoring. Taylor Hall scored a breakaway goal to cut the Blue Jackets lead to one, which they would hold. The team did actually have plenty of offensive chances, but they were bested by CBJ’s netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky, a two time winner of the Vezina Trophy, was also excellent and out played Blackwood by one single goal. He made 29 saves on 30 shots. Both teams should tip their cap to each other’s netminders, as there were 68 total shots on goal and only three found their way into the nets. Bobrovsky and Blackwood were the 2nd and 3rd stars respectively, so the attending media saw it the same way.

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The Devils haven’t been getting very good goaltending so far this season, so the results haven’t been there. Tonight, they did get good goaltending and they were very much alive in the end with a chance to win. If the group can start playing well defensively and get as good of goaltending as they received tonight, they will win more than they lose.

Taylor Hall’s 2nd period goal was his 200th career goal. He scored 132 with the Edmonton Oilers and 68 with the New Jersey Devils. He joins Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner as the only players from the 2010 NHL Draft to have reached the 200 goal plateau already. It is nice to see Taylor reach these milestones and drive offense for the New Jersey Devils. He leads the team in scoring with 33 points in 31 games played.

Marcus Johansson suffered an injury mid game, and did not return. The team did not comment on his status and provided no update following the game.

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So what is next for Blackwood and the Devils? The second half of a back to back against the Ottawa Senators back in New Jersey on Friday night, December 21st. It is likely that Keith Kinkaid will start in net, but the Devils are right back at it on Sunday when the rematch these Columbus Blue Jackets, this time at home. It is possible MacKenzie Blackwood makes his second career start then.

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