Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: Agrees to two-year deal
Rotowire
Blackwood signed a two-year, $4.7 million contract with San Jose on Saturday, PuckPedia reports.
The Sharks acquired Blackwood from New Jersey on Tuesday in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which became Cole Brown. The 26-year-old Blackwood posted a 10-6-2 record with a 3.20 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 22 appearances with New Jersey last season. As a member of the Sharks, he will compete for playing time in 2023-24 with Kaapo Kahkonen.
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Mackenzie Blackwood: Could avoid free agency
Rotowire
Blackwood will become an unrestricted free agent after not being qualified by the Sharks on Friday, but the two sides are working on an extension, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
The Sharks are hoping to keep Blackwood on a longer deal before free agency opens up Saturday. His signing rights were acquired from the Devils on Tuesday in exchange for a late-round pick. He'll likely enter training camp as the No. 1 netminder in San Jose if a contract gets signed.
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Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: Acquired by Sharks
Rotowire
San Jose acquired Blackwood from New Jersey on Tuesday in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Blackwood was limited to 22 appearances in the 2022-23 season due to knee and groin injuries. He will get another chance at being a starting goaltender with the Sharks after being surpassed on New Jersey's depth chart by Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. The 26-year-old Blackwood will compete for playing time in 2023-24 with Kaapo Kahkonen.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Battled knee and groin injuries
Rotowire
Blackwood dealt with an MCL injury as well as a groin problem this season, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Blackwood has had injury problems the last two seasons, playing 25 games in 2021-22 and only 22 contests in 2022-23. His last appearance came April 13, so it isn't clear whether Blackwood is still recovering from one of those injuries at this point. Blackwood finished the regular season 10-6-2 with a 3.20 GAA and .893 save percentage, and he didn't appear in the playoffs, even as both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid struggled in the Devils' five-game second-round loss to Carolina. He could be on the trade block in the offseason, as Schmid and Vanecek appear to be New Jersey's top two goalies heading into 2023-24.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Expected to start Thursday
Rotowire
Blackwood will start in Thursday's road game against the Capitals, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Blackwood stopped 38 of 40 shots in a 2-1 loss to Boston on Saturday. He's 10-6-2 with a 3.04 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 21 contests in 2022-23. Washington has lost 10 of its last 12 games, bringing the Capitals' record to 35-37-9.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Pulled in the second
Rotowire
Blackwood allowed four goals on 11 shots before he was replaced by Akira Schmid in the second period of Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Capitals.
Blackwood struggled Thursday, allowing three tallies in the first period and another early in the second before he was pulled. However, he was spared the loss when New Jersey rallied to tie the game 4-4 before coming away with an overtime win. The 26-year-old Blackwood finishes the regular season 10-6-2 with an .893 save percentage.
Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Suffers loss despite 38 saves
Rotowire
Blackwood stopped 38 of 40 shots in a 2-1 loss to Boston on Saturday.
Blackwood surrendered two goals on a staggering 22 shots in the first period. The Bruins were limited to 18 shots for the rest of the game, and Blackwood was able to turn those aside, but New Jersey failed to close the gap. If nothing else, this was a step up for the goaltender after he allowed two goals on just six shots in a relief appearance against Winnipeg on Monday. The 26-year-old has a 10-6-2 record, 3.04 GAA and .899 save percentage in 21 outings this season.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting in Boston
Rotowire
Blackwood will guard the road net Saturday against Boston, Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site reports.
Blackwood has a 10-5-2 record this season with a 3.10 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 20 appearances. He gave up four goals on 18 shots in a 4-3 loss to Boston on Dec. 23. The Bruins rank second in the league this campaign with 3.64 goals per game.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Surrenders two goals in relief
Rotowire
Blackwood turned aside four of six shots in relief in a 6-1 loss to Winnipeg on Sunday.
Vitek Vanecek got the start, but with the Devils down 4-0, Blackwood came out for the start of the third period. The new goaltender wasn't able to slow down the Jets, but he at least didn't get charged with the loss. Blackwood has a 10-5-2 record, 3.10 GAA and .895 save percentage in 20 outings this season. He won each of his previous three appearances, stopping 62 of 70 shots.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Not sharp but still gets win
Rotowire
Blackwood made 14 saves in a 6-3 win over Chicago on Saturday.
Blackwood wasn't exactly sharp, but we'll forgive him -- it's hard to stay dialled in when most of the play is in the other end of the ice. It was his second start after missing 16 games with a lower-body injury. Vitek Vanecek is the top dog in Jersey, so Blackwood will be lucky to get another start before the postseason begins.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting Saturday in Chicago
Rotowire
Blackwood will guard the road goal Saturday versus the Blackhawks, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Blackwood stopped 25 of 28 shots versus the Senators in his return from a lower-body injury last Saturday. He'll draw a very favorable matchup in this contest, though the Blackhawks are welcoming back Jonathan Toews (illness).
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Gets win in return from injury
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) turned aside 25 of 28 shots in a 5-3 win over the Senators.
Blackwood made his first start since Feb. 19 due to the injury. Before he got hurt, Blackwood was doing fairly well with a 2.35 GAA and a .926 save percentage over his last three appearances. The 26-year-old didn't have an ideal showing Saturday -- in particular, he surrendered two goals on nine shots in the second period -- but the Devils helped him out by supplying plenty of offensive support to push his record up to 9-5-2 in 2022-23. The goaltender also has a 3.04 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 18 outings this season.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Removed from IR
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Saturday ahead of New Jersey's game against Ottawa, according to the NHL media site.
Blackwood is available for Saturday's contest, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports, but it's unclear what his role will be if he returns to the lineup. Akira Schmid, who has been with the Devils since Feb. 21, is still currently listed on the NHL roster.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting against Ottawa
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) will start Saturday's home game against Ottawa, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Blackwood, who will play for the first time since Feb. 19, will be backed up by Vitek Vanecek. The 26-year-old Blackwood has a record of 8-5-2 this season with a 3.04 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 17 appearances. The Senators sit 18th in the league this campaign with 3.14 goals per game. Akira Schmid will be a healthy scratch.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Back on the ice
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) skated Sunday and should return to practice soon, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
There's no word on an expected return date for Blackwood, but the team will likely want to see him in at least a couple of practice sessions before he's activated from injured reserve. The 26-year-old has missed the last nine games and hasn't dressed since Feb. 19.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Shifts to IR
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Sunday, Ryan Novozinsky of the Star-Ledger reports.
Blackwood has sat out the past three games after sustaining an injury Tuesday. A timetable for his return remains unclear. Netminder Akira Schmid has been up with the Devils since Blackwood's absence.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Still being evaluated
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) is still being evaluated, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Blackwood is scheduled to see team doctors Thursday night to determine a timeline for a return. Akira Schmid is slated to be Vitek Vanecek's backup for a second straight game Thursday versus Los Angeles.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Not suiting up
Rotowire
Blackwood (lower body) will sit out Tuesday's game versus the Canadiens, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Vitek Vanecek will start Tuesday, and Akira Schmid will serve as the backup goalie. Blackwood tweaked something at Tuesday's morning skate, and Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports he's considered day-to-day. The Devils' next game is Thursday versus the Kings.
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Devils' Mackenzie Blackwood: Tweaks something at morning skate
Rotowire
Blackwood exited Tuesday's morning skate after tweaking something, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
At this point it isn't clear if Blackwood will be available for Tuesday night's game versus Montreal. If Blackwood is unable to go, look for the Devils to promote a netminder from the minors prior to puck drop against the Canadiens.
