Avalanche replace Wedgewood with Blackwood in Game 3 loss - ESPN

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It appears the Colorado Avalanche are facing a goaltending decision.

During the Avalanche's 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday, several moving parts for Colorado came to a screeching halt, including its goaltending.

Scott Wedgewood, who has started every game for the Avalanche this postseason, was pulled early in the second period after allowing three goals on 12 shots in 24:23.

He was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced over the remaining 32:27 during the Avalanche's first loss of the postseason.

«We'll have a decision to make, but there's a decision to make every night,» Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said when asked who'll start Game 4. «You know, some are easier than others. I thought Blackwood was good.… So, yeah, we'll talk about it and make a decision.»

Wedgewood, a career backup, had one of the strongest regular seasons of any netminder while playing alongside Blackwood, helping the Avalanche finish with the best record in the NHL.

Wedgewood, 33, went 31-6-6 and led the league with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

He allowed five goals in the Avalanche's four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in the quarterfinal round before allowing six goals in the Avs' 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.

Wedgewood stopped 29 of 31 shots to help the Avs take a 2-0 lead before the series shifted to St. Paul for Games 3 and 4.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead when Kirill Kaprizov, who finished with three points, got into the heart of the Colorado zone on a 4-on-4 sequence. Kaprizov was closing in on net when he hesitated and made Wedgewood aggressively attempt to poke check the puck away before Kaprizov lifted