It didn’t take long for goaltenders Mackenzie Blackwood and Alexandar Georgiev to find themselves facing off against their former teammates, blocking shots for different teams.
Blackwood and Georgiev, who were traded for each other last week, started for the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks, respectively, on Thursday night. The trade also sent Givani Smith and a fifth-round draft pick to San Jose, while Colorado received Nikolai Kovalenko and two draft picks. Both Smith and Kovalenko played in Colorado’s 4-2 win.
Blackwood had the better performance in goal, making 32 saves, while Georgiev stopped 27 shots for the Sharks.
The Avalanche goalie said he felt comfortable right away and enjoyed the game.
“Obviously, you’ve got a lot of friends over there, but at the end of the day, it’s still a hockey game,” Blackwood explained. “Got to go out there and do your job.”
Blackwood revived his career with the Sharks, who had acquired him from the New Jersey Devils in June 2023 for a sixth-round pick. Last season, he had a 3.45 goals-against average with an .899 save percentage in 44 games for a struggling San Jose team. This season, he posted a 3.00 GAA and .909 save percentage in 19 games.
He received applause from Sharks fans when he was introduced.
He credited San Jose general manager Mike Grier, who had been an assistant coach with the Devils when Blackwood played there, for giving him the chance to play after injury issues in New Jersey.
“When I got healthy, he believed in me, brought me in and gave me a chance to play,” Blackwood said before the game. “I got myself turned around, got my game up and back on track. He was a big part of giving me the opportunity to do so.”
Even though Blackwood spent just over one season with the Sharks, he said his former teammates are “still like brothers” to him, highlighting the strong bond they developed. Blackwood, a pending free agent, would have been open to signing an extension with the Sharks but said the rebuilding team is “not in the same place as me and my career.”
The 28-year-old Blackwood moved from the NHL’s worst team last season to the Colorado Avalanche, who have Stanley Cup aspirations but struggled early this season, partly due to issues in goal. Colorado, which entered the day tied for the second Western Conference wild card, has used four different goalies in the first 30 games.
One of those goalies was Georgiev, who led the league in wins last season with an 86-41-11 record with the Avalanche. But he had a tough start to this season. In addition to trading Georgiev, Colorado also sent backup Justus Annunen to Nashville for goalie Scott Wedgewood on Nov. 30.
Georgiev said Thursday’s game felt “a little weird” because he knew his former teammates’ tendencies, which he said could be a disadvantage because he didn’t want to overcommit.
“It wasn’t too emotional,” Georgiev said. “I just tried to play it as any normal game, not overcommit and just enjoy it. It’s fun to play against those guys, too. They’re buzzing. They’re a very fast team.”
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar praised Blackwood before the game, saying he’s been “fantastic.” He added that both Blackwood and Wedgewood are veteran goalies who feel comfortable in their roles and are more outgoing than the team’s previous goaltenders.
Colorado has gone 6-3 since trading for Wedgewood, with Blackwood joining the team two weeks later. Avalanche forward Ross Colton said Blackwood has “brought some confidence” to the team.
“Both of them have been awesome,” Colton said. “They’re great in the locker room as well. Just in the room, it feels different, which is a good thing.”
