So here we are again in a familiar situation for Mackenzie Blackwood.
Another opportunity to really take the reins
as the number one goaltender for this team. The way things are currently playing out, he'll get the majority of starts going forward with Akira Schmid and Jon Gillies competing for the other games.
The first game of opportunity certainly did not go the way he would have liked, giving up five goals against the Boston Bruins, but it may also serve as an important reminder of just how elevated he will need to take his game in order to solidify his position. I believe we learn more about ourselves through the tougher times than any big win can teach us. Mackenzie said it best, after the Bruins game, "I know that a couple of goals don't define who I am and what I do." And he's right, it doesn't and shouldn't.
Now, more than any other situation, any other stretch of hockey he'll have played at the NHL level, really is the time for him to prove it to himself because the talent is in there. We've seen it. And it's a really fun thing to watch.
Grabbing hold of an opportunity is what this game is really all about. We hear constantly about the 'next-man-up' philosophy when players go down with an injury. Jon Gillies has been brought in as some support, an older player but one with less experience at the NHL level than Mackenzie, and Akira Schmid and Nico Daws are still young, still figuring out their own way in the minors, or learning from the backup experience here in New Jersey, so the net really is Mackenzie's, and while there might not be a veteran behind him to push him, to threaten his job, he's going to have to find that within himself.
If I know Mackenzie as I do, I know he'll find his groove.