The Colorado Avalanche are staring down a 1-0 deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers after a wild first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and honestly, Mackenzie Blackwood is the only reason this game is even close. The opening 20 minutes were a flat-out frustrating mess for the Avs, filled with defensive breakdowns, missed chances, and a string of just brutal bounces.
What Even Happened Out There?!
It was a rough start, plain and simple. Devon Toews coughed up the puck early, giving Philly a scoring chance, but Blackwood shut it down. Then the Avs got hit with a too many men penalty, and the Flyers, who somehow only have one win in their first nine games, immediately made them pay. Matvei Michkov buried a rebound off Trevor Zegras’ initial shot, and just like that, it was 1-0. The Avs tried to challenge it for goaltender interference, but the officials waved it off, ruling that Josh Manson pushed Parker Martone into Blackwood. So the goal stood. Poor Gavin Brindley got stuck serving both the too many men bench minor AND the delay-of-game penalty from that failed challenge. Not exactly an ideal start for him.
Mackenzie Blackwood Is A Human Highlight Reel
Look, this period could have been way worse. Zegras nearly doubled Philly’s lead on a 2-on1 rush, but Blackwood pulled off an acrobatic save to stop him cold at the backdoor. Later, Sean Couturier was left all alone in the low slot after a pass from behind the net, fired a shot, and Blackwood, yet again, made another outstanding save. This dude was standing on his head, turning aside dangerous Philly chances left and right. Without him, the Flyers would be running away with this thing right now.
Adding Injury to Insult
As if the defensive struggles and penalties weren’t enough, things got genuinely scary for the Avs. Nathan MacKinnon set up Artturi Lehkonen for a backdoor shot, but the puck hit the crossbar, then deflected straight into Martin Necas’ mouth. He went down hard and had to leave the ice for medical attention. To add insult to literal injury, Brett Kulak ripped a wrist shot that caught Brock Nelson in the leg. You could call the whole period “Friendly Fire” and it would not be wrong. Despite being outshot 13-8, the Avs did close the period with five consecutive shots on goal. That’s a small spark, right?
So, the Avalanche are down 1-0, heading into the second period. They need to clean up those breakdowns and find their offense, big time. But honestly, if Blackwood keeps playing like this, they’re still within striking distance. Let’s see what they bring in the next frame, because this first period was a wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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