ST. PAUL, Minn. — It sure looks like Mackenzie Blackwood will start Monday night for the Colorado Avalanche, and Josh Manson will join him in the lineup.
Avs coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t confirm either move after the club’s morning skate at Grand Casino Arena. He did say that Manson and Joel Kiviranta are both available for Game 4 of this best-of-seven series, which Colorado leads 2-1.
Blackwood was the first goaltender off the ice Monday morning, while Scott Wedgewood stayed out late for extra work.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Bednar said when asked about Blackwood. “Possibly.”
Wedgewood started the first seven games of this playoff run, but Bednar pulled him Saturday night after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Blackwood replaced him and allowed one goal on 13 shots in a 5-1 loss — the team’s first loss in this tournament.
“He’s so sharp for us,” Bednar said. “I’ve really liked (Blackwood’s) practices. The time that he’s spent on the ice with (goalie coach Jussi Parkkila), we’re getting good reports. Like I said at the start of the playoffs, we’re probably going to need both guys. It’s how we ran it all year. We have confidence in both guys and I think Mackenzie is ready to play.”
Manson hasn’t played since Game 3 of the opening-round series against Los Angeles. Kiviranta hasn’t played since Game 2 against the Kings.
Both players left the ice early during the morning skate, which is typically a sign that they are in the lineup that night. But the Avs didn’t leave a full set of healthy scratches out there to work with Wedgewood, forward Zakhar Bardakov and defenseman Jack Ahcan, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles as insurance.
Manson would replace Nick Blankenburg in the lineup. It’s less clear who Kiviranta would replace if he plays. Ross Colton was a healthy scratch for the first two games against Los Angeles when Kiviranta was in the lineup.
