When the Colorado Avalanche turned over their goaltenders last November, Scott Wedgewood was acquired to be a solid backup to Mackenzie Blackwood.
Wedgewood hasn’t played like a backup, and he has given head coach Jared Bednar a good problem to have — deciding which goalie to start.
Wedgwood has played in 15 of Colorado’s 19 games and could make it 16 when the Avalanche host the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
Wedgewood started the season as the team’s No. 1 goalie while Blackwood rehabbed following offseason surgery, and he has gotten the majority of the starts since Blackwood returned Nov. 1.
The 33-year-old Wedgewood has bounced around the league, mostly as a backup, but he has stolen games, like he did Sunday night against the New York Islanders, earning the praise of Hall of Fame goaltender and Islanders coach Patrick Roy.
Wedgewood is 11-1-2 and is second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.17).
“There’s not a lot in my game that they teach anymore,” Wedgewood said. “Just find a way to stop the puck. I’m going to give it everything I have. Sometimes it’s not the most perfect goaltending position or unorthodox, but as long as it stays out of the net.”
With Colorado’s offensive firepower, solid goaltending will usually lead to wins. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in scoring with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) and Cale Makar is the top-scoring defenseman in the league with 25 points (six goals, 19 assists).
The combination of strong offense and good goaltending fueled the Avalanche’s six-game winning streak heading into the matchup with New York.
The Rangers are at the outset of a stretch where they play seven of nine games on the road. They began their current three-game trip with a loss at Vegas on Tuesday night and have now dropped two in a row after winning three straight.
Head coach Mike Sullivan was behind the bench Tuesday night after missing Sunday’s game against Detroit to attend to a family matter.
While Colorado is on an offensive tear with an NHL-best 78 goals, the Rangers have scored 52, which ranks 28th.
New York hasn’t found a consistent scoring punch and is led by Artemi Panarin’s 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). The team leader in goals is Mika Zibanejad with seven, and captain J.T. Miller has struggled to get going offensively.
Miller had 103 points with Vancouver two seasons ago but has just four goals and six assists in 21 games this season.
“This year it seems like nothing’s really going in the net,” he said after his team’s 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights. “We’ve got a big enough sample size — 25% of the season is gone — and we’re in a lot of one-goal games. If I can raise my personal standard and lead the team a little bit better production wise, I think our outcomes in these games are going to change.
“I understand if I’m producing the way I’m capable of producing, our record might look a hell of a lot different. Trust me, it’s on my mind.”
–Field Level Media
