Mackenzie Blackwood News: Needed in relief Saturday

Blackwood stopped 25 of 26 shots in regulation and overtime after replacing Vitek Vanecek (undisclosed) to begin the second period of Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Penguins.

He stopped only two of Pittsburgh's five shootout attempts, sticking Blackwood with the overtime loss. The 27-year-old hasn't given up more than three goals in any of his last five appearances, going 2-2-1 over that stretch with a 1.92 GAA and .944 save percentage. If Vanecek's injury proves to be serious, it may not result in a big increase in Blackwood's workload, as San Jose would likely dole out a healthy share of playing time to top prospect Yaroslav Askarov.