Nick Blankenburg burns Avalanche in return to Ball Arena

Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Blankenburg made his return to Ball Arena on Saturday night as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And sure enough, the 28-year-old burned the Avs in his his first shift.

Blankenburg took a pass from William Nylander and fired a shot past MacKenzie Blackwood at the three-minute mark of the first period.

The goal, while certainly sweet for Blankenburg, was a frustrating one for the Avalanche. The club let Blankenburg walk in free agency this past summer. He ended up signing with the Maple Leafs on a Professional Tryout (PTO) and ended up making the team.

The Leafs rolled with Blankenburg on Saturday, as John Tavares was absent from the game due to paternity leave. Toronto went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Avalanche, with Blankenburg making his season debut against Colorado of all teams.

All told, it has to be a frustrating situation for the Avalanche to see a former player come back to bite them in the behind.

Nathan MacKinnon pacing the game in early going

The Avalanche had a quick response to the Blankenburg goal, courtesy of none other than Nathan MacKinnon.

The Colorado superstar scored twice in the first period to erase Toronto’s early lead.

MacKinnon went coast-to-coast on Toronto, notching his fourth of the season. The Maple Leafs were unable to match MacKinnon’s speed to the net, with Toronto netminder Sergei Bobrovsky unable to poke the puck off MacKinnon’s stick. The tally tied the game at the 10:46 mark of the first period.

But that wasn’t all. MacKinnon followed up his first beauty of a goal with a fantastic wrist shot about four minutes later.

The goal sent both teams to the dressing room at 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Avalanche waste golden opportunity to blow the game open

The Avalanche had a golden opportunity to blow the game open early in the second period. The Avs started the middle frame on the power play, then got a brief 5-on-3 advantage. However, Colorado was unable to score in the back-to-back power play opportunities.

The Leafs promptly made Colorado pay a few moments later, trying the game at two goals apiece on a William Nylander power play goal.

The Leafs deserve credit for hanging in the game after losing defenseman Chris Tanev in the first period. No one ever said this game would be an easy one, and the Maple Leafs have shown it.

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