Blackwood has had an inconsistent season thus far. He missed time at the start of the season due to rehabbing a heel injury that required surgery over the summer. He's also missed time due to concussions. Thus far, he's 8-7-3 with a 3.32 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
"You have to have confidence in your game. I believe in myself. I believe in what I can do," Blackwood said. "I know that a couple goals don't define who I am and what I do. It's crappy. I haven't been getting the results that I want to be getting, but there's peaks and valleys throughout the season. I have to keep riding it out, keeping doing the right things, working hard and I'll come out of it."
The Devils will need Blackwood to lead them more than ever. The Devils faced the Boston Bruins without captain Nico Hischier (lower-body), Dougie Hamilton (broken jaw) and forwards Yegor Sharangovich, Pavel Zacha and Jimmy Vesey (COVID-19 protocol). With a depleted roster, the Devils need goaltending to keep them competitive on a nightly basis.
"It's all about how he handles it," Ruff said. "There's going to be an opportunity inside every game to make a difference. We know that for us to fight right there in the thick of it for a playoff spot we know we're going to be sitting on his shoulders. That's a new position for him."
While Blackwood has experienced being a No. 1 guy so far in the league, he hasn't had the pressure of being the No. 1 guy on a team that's trying to compete for a playoff spot.
"It's really his first time in this situation," Ruff said. "A couple years ago (2019-20) he was given an opportunity to play a lot of games as a young goaltender. That's a little different now than being the guy and everybody is looking at you to make a difference inside every game. We feel that he's a guy that can get the job done for us.
"It's his opportunity. It's a great opportunity for him to grow with the situation that's been put in front of him."
Blackwood wants to be that No. 1 goaltender for a playoff team. But to get there he needs to balance the pressure of having to be a difference maker without trying to overexert himself.
"I have to clean up my game a little bit and keep working hard, but I don't want to put too much pressure on it in the way of trying too hard," he said. "You definitely want to take pride in your game and keep working on my game.
"You just try to have fun while you're playing. Be competitive. Try to get better all the time. Keep working on your game but at the same time try to have fun. When it stops becoming fun, it becomes pretty monotonous thing every day. You have to enjoy every day and that helps you continue to get better."
But more so than the physical aspects of the position, Blackwood needs to make sure that he remains level-headed through those "peaks and valleys" in the season.
"Goalie is a lot of mental game, so if you stop believing in yourself then you lose your confidence and that's it for you," he said. "Since I started, one of the main things is having a belief in what you can do and who you are, and just keep chipping away."
