When the playoffs begin, odds are Mackenzie Blackwood will be starting in net for the Colorado Avalanche. They signed him to a five-year, $26.25 million extension last season for a reason.

As things stand now, the excellent play of Scott Wedgewood is forcing Blackwood to bide his time and wait for his opportunities.

And that’s all he says he needs to shake off the rust.

“Everything is good. I just need minutes and reps and get the timing back,” Blackwood said after Thursday’s win over the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.

“But it’s coming.”

Thursday night was another start where Blackwood didn’t quite hit the level he played at last season. The rust was evident, as the goaltender failed to corral a relatively soft shot from the blue line that created the Sabres’ first goal on a rebound. Buffalo’s second goal squeezed through Blackwood’s arm, one he’d like to have back.

Blackwood needs game action to get his timing back, but finding him those minutes is proving to be difficult for coach Jared Bednar.

The play of Wedgewood has complicated things a bit. Not in a bad way, as no one is going to complain about one goaltender playing fantastic while the starter works his way back into a rhythm. But when Wedgewood is playing the way he is, it’s tough for Bednar to keep him out of the net.

The coach knows his starter needs to shake off the rust, but his job is to win games. And Wedgewood these days is doing a lot of winning.

“I hate to sound cruel, but that’s a (Blackwood) problem at this point. It’s not a problem for me,” Bednar said after the game. “I have lots of confidence in (Blackwood) and I know there’s lots of minutes between here and the end of the season, right? But (Wedgewood) is playing great, so I’m not going to not play (Wedgewood) to play (Blackwood) at this point.”

There’s no controversy and no drama in the locker room. The two goaltenders have a great relationship that dates back to their days in New Jersey.

Wedgewood signed a one-year extension on Thursday to keep him in Colorado for another year, and the happiest guy on the team for him might have been Blackwood.

“Ten out of 10,” Blackwood joked when asked his thoughts on his friend’s extension. “Scotty’s a great teammate. Everyone in here loves him. He’s been playing amazing, so we’re so happy for him and happy he’s going to sticking around another year.”

Blackwood will continue to grind. While the team has had a lot of optional practices of late, he’s one of the few who hasn’t taken the option, getting in some extra work with goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila.

When he gets an opportunity, and he will get many opportunities soon, he knows he must make them count.

“I just have to take my chances and make the most of them when I get them,” Blackwood said. “I mean, I’m going to get chances to play. Scotty’s played great, but the schedule is demanding and there’s going to be times where I need to play right now. Every chance I get, I’m just going to hopefully keep rolling and string them together.”