Blackwood stopped 23 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

His path from prospect to potential Vezina Trophy candidate was non-linear, and included some dark days. But, beyond some better fortune with his health, one of the biggest realizations in his development was his ability to make flashy saves was not going to make him the consistent goaltender he wanted to be.

Evan Bouchard scored with 6:55 left and the surging Edmonton Oilers overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Thursday night.

Patrolling crease versus Oilers

Since the Colorado Avalanche acquired Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9, the team has been one of the hottest in the NHL, winning nine of 12 games and catapulting themselves into a playoff position in the new year.

Jared Bednar wasn’t happy with his team’s performance on Tuesday and made that clear postgame. But the Avalanche were still victorious, erasing a late third-period deficit before getting another overtime game-winning goal from Devon Toews.

It’s already been a month with Mackenzie Blackwood in Colorado. How in the world are the Montreal Canadiens doing what they’re doing? The Red Wings are also benefitting from the new coach bump and the Bruins have zero time for a radio host.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar has stressed the importance of winning games within the division, so Saturday's game against the visiting Dallas Stars has more meaning for both teams.

The Montreal Canadiens ended Colorado’s six-game winning streak with a 2-1 shootout victory Saturday at Ball Arena. Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach scored for the Canadiens in the shootout. There are some 2-1 thrillers, with great saves, end-to-end action and high drama.

Colorado is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games, averaging 3.8 goals, as it heads to the United Center to play the Blackhawks on Wednesday night.