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Mackenzie Blackwood’s third regulation loss since joining the Avalanche was the first game he allowed more than two goals. Despite making 24 saves on 28 shots, Colorado failed to maintain a three-goal lead and lost 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
Blackwood was not so much frustrated from having made some stellar saves only to lose in the end, it was more the way the game unfolded.
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“I think it’s more just the way it happened. Had a lead, just let it slide the rest of the game so I think that’s more of a frustrating thing. I don’t think personally it’s frustrating when you make saves like that,” Blackwood said. “I think it’s more just losing a game where we had control of it, and then just letting them back in. So I think that’s more frustrating.”
Nathan MacKinnon said the Oilers “outplayed” them and “deserved to win that game.” He scored two of the three Avs’ goals, but Edmonton prevailed in the end. Head coach Jared Bednar placed no fault on Blackwood, even for a goal the netminder may not have been happy about.
“You’ve got some elite shooters on the other side. And we did give up a number of high dangerous scoring chances. He made some big saves on a few of them, and some got by him,” Bednar said. “Even the first goal — we deflect like it’s going one way, and we kind of change the direction off our stick, which that’s a little bit more unfortunate. He would say he wants it back, but I understand why it slipped through him because he’s moving and changes direction.”
How Blackwood Handles Breakdowns
Goaltenders are a different breed. The position demands a unique mindset. Some goalies exude calmness off the ice but flip a switch during games, unleashing controlled aggression. Blackwood strikes a remarkable balance between these extremes. He remains unshaken even when his team struggles in front of him. His ability to stay composed under pressure and maintain focus sets him apart.
“I just play my own game. Whatever happens in front of me, they know when things go wrong. I don’t need to tell them …,” the 28-year-old said. “It’s not really my job to yell at them or anything like that. They know, everyone’s accountable. So that’s not really my thing.
“I’m the opposite. I try to be more encouraging. Someone makes a mistake or something — all good, shake it off, we’ll bounce back. That’s kind of more the approach I take.”
Read more in-depth Avs coverage as a Colorado Hockey Now subscriber — Flynn’s Take: State of the Avs Midseason Report (+)
Blackwood has provided consistent goaltending that has anchored the team in crucial moments, which is refreshing while it deals with rotating injuries. His steadiness and effort have been instrumental in shifting the team’s dynamic.
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Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Commanders reportedly hesitant about one issue with Terry McLaurin deal
The 2024 offseason expanded the $30M-per-year wide receiver club to six members. D.K. Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson have taken it to nine this year. Terry McLaurin is undoubtedly pushing to bump that number to 10, after seeing 2019 Day 2 classmates Metcalf and A.J. Brown land among that contingent. McLaurin reported to training camp Sunday and landed on the active/PUP list. As our Rory Parks explained, skepticism exists about how injured the Commanders’ top wide receiver really is. An ankle injury has keyed the PUP stay, but it can be safely assumed McLaurin would be ready to practice if an extension comes to pass. Nevertheless, the Commanders have been surprised by the difficulty of these talks. Using an injury to avoid practicing while negotiating — developments the Jonathan Taylor and Micah Parsons sagas brought — represents a third tactic, joining the holdout and the increasingly utilized hold-in amid extension talks. McLaurin shifted from a holdout to the injury route; no matter how he is accomplishing not practicing, the seventh-year veteran is aiming to land a lucrative third contract. His age provides a complication for Washington. McLaurin is going into an age-30 season, separating him from Brown and Metcalf. Both Ole Miss products were drafted just before McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick, but they are each two years younger. This strengthened their cases for big-ticket third contracts. McLaurin went first to ignite the second-tier boom on the receiver market in 2022, agreeing to a three-year, $69.6M extension. That shaped the Metcalf and Deebo Samuel extensions, both of which coming in higher than McLaurin’s despite the latter’s consistency with suboptimal quarterback situations. McLaurin’s AAV has dropped to 17th at wide receiver. The Commanders are prepared to extend their top wideout, but Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates the "holdup" is regarding the $30M-AAV number. Some around the league point to the team not wanting to go into that neighborhood for McLaurin, despite his five 1,000-yard seasons. Courtland Sutton and McLaurin are nearly the same age, and the Broncos’ top target signed a four-year, $92M extension. That matches where the Titans went for Calvin Ridley (now 30) in 2024. McLaurin, though, has a better resume than both and should be aiming higher. The Commanders have a Jayden Daniels rookie contract to structure another McLaurin extension around as well. Adam Peters was around for the 49ers’ 2022 Samuel extension but not Brandon Aiyuk‘s $30M-per-year deal. (The Samuel extension also did not work out for the 49ers, who proceeded with a salary dump of sorts by trading him to the Commanders.) The second-year GM taking a hardline stance with McLaurin would be an interesting route given the WR’s importance to a sudden contender. Peters confirmed talks are ongoing, with that comment coming after McLaurin expressed frustration about the negotiations. A potential gap between the pack of 20-somethings (and Tyreek Hill) north of $30M AAV and the Tee Higgins–Jaylen Waddle–D.J. Moore tier could be relevant here, and it will be interesting to see if McLaurin settles for something just south of that $30MM benchmark. Guarantees and contract structure, of course, will be important to determining the value as well. A short-term extension should be reached soon, per Pauline, but if the Commanders hold the line at or around $30M, the McLaurin matter could drag on for a while longer.
Chicago Cubs OF suffers big injury before trade deadline
The Chicago Cubs are down another bat with two days to go before the trade deadline on Thursday. The Cubs had more frustrating injury news to reveal after a second-straight loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. The Brewers defeated Chicago 9-3 in front of 40,136 fans at American Family Field to take a two-game lead over the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Per Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Cubs thought they received good news on Ian Happ after x-rays came back negative on the outfielder’s shin. “Happ got x-rays that were negative after fouling a ball off his left shin,” Rogers posted on X. “Was limping some just now in the Cubs room. Jackson Chourio (hammy spasm) says he’s feeling better. Doesn’t think it’s serious.” Chicago Cubs to put Ian Happ on IL About an hour later, Rogers reported that Chicago is expected to put Happ on the injured list. The Cubs are set to call up Moises Ballesteros from Iowa. “Looks like the Happ injury might require an IL stint,” Rogers posted. “The team is calling up Moises Ballesteros from Triple-A, per a source. He’s hitting .331 down there. He had a cup of coffee with the big league team earlier this year.” Happ’s injury comes at a time when the Cubs are looking to trade for an extra bat. Chicago needs help on offense with inconsistency coming from rookie third baseman Matt Shaw. Happ was batting .227 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI. Bottom line, the Cubs need to make some moves by Thursday if this team wants to compete for the NL Central, much less a World Series.
Lakers' Bronny James Looks Like Completely Different Player for LA
Second-year Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James entered the NBA offseason as a completely new player, with significantly more confidence on the court. James was drafted in the second round last summer by the Lakers, though he only made spot cameos with Los Angeles. Instead, he spent most of his time with the G League team, getting repetitions among other NBA-caliber talent. He faced intense scrutiny as the son of LeBron James, arguably the greatest player of all time, and was criticized by the national media for allegedly being a product of nepotism. More news: Lakers' Luka Doncic Makes Major Offseason Announcement In Las Vegas this summer, Bronny James proved his critics wrong and showed a ton of growth on the court, which was noticed by Lakers' Summer League coach Lindsey Harding. “He’s been great,” Harding told the media, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com “Having his time in the G League, getting more and more confidence and then coming here and taking more minutes and responsibility on his shoulders." During the showcase games, James averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds over his 24.3 minutes per outing. "Handling the ball much more than he has in the past and making those decisions and reads for us, he’s taken that role on as a leader, that was also part of his growth," Harding said. "And then on the defensive end, where he had those moments where he can really pressure (the ball), pick up full court, be disruptive," Harding added. "That’s something where he can really have an immediate impact for our team this season.” More news: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Reveals Shocking New Fitness Regimen, Diet He shot an impressive 35.3% from three and guarded the opposing team's best player with energy and intensity. With a Lakers team lacking defensive guards, James could break into the rotation and eat into Gabe Vincent's minutes. Amid all of the scrutiny, he is proving his long list of doubters wrong and showing his true potential on the basketball court. More news: Former Lakers Center Nearing Deal With Surprise Team For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
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