Should Mackenzie Blackwood Have Played in 4 Nations Face-Off?

Team USA is favored by many experts in the 4 Nations Face-Off because of its strong goaltending. When you look at the four teams’ netminders, Connor Hellebuyck is the top dog. The Commerce, Michigan native leads the league in save percentage (.925%), goals-against-average (2.06) and shutouts (six).

Team Canada’s Jordan Binnington has the most unimpressive numbers with a .897 SV% and 2.89 GAA, while Team Sweden’s Filip Gustavsson’s SV% (.915) and GAA (2.63) is the next best compared to Hellebuyck. Team Finland’s Juuse Saros is ranked 33rd in the league with a .899 SV% and 2.95 GAA.

Stats can paint a picture of a goalie’s abilities but they’re not the whole story. Binnington plays on a mediocre St. Louis Blues team struggling to get above .500, and the Nashville Predators’ 19-28-7 record has not allowed Saros much glory this season.

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Team Canada’s other goaltenders are Adin Hill (.900 SV%, 2.64 GAA) and Sam Montembeault (.897 SV%, 3.00 GAA). Sticking with the numbers, Thunder Bay, Ontario native Mackenzie Blackwood is ranked higher than all three netminders. In 22 games with Colorado, he has a .922 SV% and a 2.13 GAA, and had a .911 SV% and 3.00 GAA in 19 games with the San Jose Sharks. He is 14-6-2 in 21 games started with the Avs — in comparison, Binnington has 15 wins in 38 GS.

Full rosters were announced on Dec. 4, 2024 — just five days before Blackwood was traded to the Avalanche for Alexandar Georgiev. The 28-year-old didn’t stand out to Canada’s GM Don Sweeney and other management with the numbers he had in San Jose so it makes sense he was overlooked. But had the event been later or the rosters been chosen closer to the tournament, Blackwood should have made the team.

While Blackwood missed the opportunity to represent his country in the 4 Nations Face-Off, he should be considered for Team Canada in the 2026 Olympics if he continues to play as he has with the Avalanche.

Binnington made 23 saves in Canada’s 4-3 overtime win over Sweden for the team’s first matchup. He will likely start again vs Team USA on Saturday night, but that won’t be confirmed until warmups.