New Jersey Devils: How Do We Know When Mackenzie Blackwood Is For Real?

The New Jersey Devils just won their third game is a row, all with rookie goalie Mackenzie Blackwood getting the start. After back-to-back shutouts, when do we know what we are watching is for real?

Mackenzie Blackwood came to the New Jersey Devils at the time they needed him most. Things were going downhill fast for this franchise, and it looked quickly that this was turning into a lost season. Just a week ago, the Devils were tied for the worst record in the entire league.

Crazy the difference a week can make. They’ve actually passed four teams in the Eastern Conference after winning three games in a row. In all three of those wins, Blackwood was in net. In two of those games, he didn’t even allow a goal.

Blackwood has stopped 102 out of 104 shots since the Christmas break. That’s an insane .981 save percentage. Yes, it’s in an extremely small sample size, but impressive none the less.

Now, this recent performance have fans forgetting about Cory Schneider‘s existence and gluing Keith Kinkaid to the bench. We can see why. They’ve been average at best, and the worst goalie tandem at their worst. It’s no wonder why fans are very excited to have a good goalie in between the pipes.

So, when do we know we actually have something here?

Well, I hate to be this guy, but we’ve seen this kind of performance before. We don’t have to go far, in fact. Scott Wedgewood was a decent goalie in the Devils pipeline, but with Schneider and Kinkaid already in the net, it didn’t seem like he’d get a chance any time soon. Then, Kinkaid started to struggle with Schneider injured, so they gave the then 23 year old a shot.

All he did was go 2-1-1 with a .957 save percentage. He even shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a masterful performance, but the Devils were in a different position then. They didn’t want someone to take over, they just needed a stop gap. So, the next season, they traded him to the Arizona Coyotes.

Well, Wedgewood immediately became one of the worst goalies in the league. He’s actually been alright with the Rochester Americans this season, but the point is he’s not a starting goalie in the NHL.

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

• Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
• New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
• New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
• New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
• Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?

Now, Blackwood was always a better prospect than Wedgewood. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was the best North American goalie in his draft. Wedgewood was a third-round pick, but he never became the next guy.

Well, Blackwood has shown some very good signs. He has his flaws, but opposing teams haven’t figured him out just yet. That’s the key here. We now have four full game tapes of Blackwood. It’s clear he has some very good strengths. He can stop everything on the ice. Even going from one side or the other, if the opposing player doesn’t shoot the puck up near his shoulder pads, then it likely has no chance.

So, back to the question at hand. How will we know when this is real?

Well, for one we need to see Blackwood have a bad game. That doesn’t sound like it makes sense, but trust me it does. We need to see Blackwood have a bad game and bounce back. It’s inevitable that the Devils netminder will have a game where he allows at least four goals. If he can bounce back from that, then we will start to know this isn’t just a fluke.

For now, let’s enjoy the ride. Enjoy the wins while they last.