BLOG: Devils Managing Blackwood's Workload

It was a frantic finish.
In the final 40 seconds of regulation, Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped Buffalo's Eric Staal twice from 10-feet away, and followed that by denying a point-blank chance for Taylor Hall. And Blackwood did it all without his stick.
Those were just a few of Blackwood's 33 saves Tuesday night in a 3-2 victory that snapped New Jersey's four-game winless skid.
That performance comes on the heels of a spectacular 26-save effort Saturday against the New York Islanders.
"I said there was an improvement (against the Islanders). Again, I saw an improvement in last night's game (against Buffalo)," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "The energy, the way he was reacting.
"For me, it looks like he's trending, these last two games he's starting to look like he did earlier in the year."
Blackwood, 24, admitted on Tuesday that he experienced lingering respiratory issues following a COVID-19 infection. Those issues were perhaps the reason for the sub-par play upon his return, though neither he nor the team used that an excuse.
"You don't know exactly where it's from," Ruff said. "You don't know if it's post-COVID related. You don't know if it's the grind of the type of schedule that we've had."
That schedule grind will only get worse in the coming weeks. The Devils embark on a stretch of six games in nine nights, with two back-to-back series. As such, the club is trying to spread out some of the goaltending duties in games and practices.
"We laid out a schedule and we're trying to stick to it," Ruff said. "We're looking at opportunities to get (Blackwood) more practice time and we're looking at opportunities to get him rest in between games."
Blackwood welcomes those opportunities to rest, such as last week when Scott Wedgewood tended the goal for two straight games.
"This year especially, the games come at you hot and heavy," Blackwood said. "They're there every second day and the back-to-back every week. We've had the same schedule every week. It's a little bit more than a regular year. Whenever you get a couple days to have a little reset, that was pretty nice just for me and my game."
While he enjoys the rest, Blackwood obviously prefers to play. But he's put his faith in the coaching staff and keeps himself ready for when called upon.
"I play when I'm told I'm playing," Blackwood said. "I leave that up to (the coaches). It's more in their hands than mine."
And if needed, Blackwood is prepared to shoulder a heavy workload once again.
"I think it's been more of a grind it out type of situation than anything else," he said. "I'm just trying to do that the best I can."