DENVER - The Maple Leafs are taking a different look into Saturday night’s meeting with the Colorado Avalanche, and it starts with a familiar face getting his first game of the season.
With John Tavares staying home after the birth of his fourth child, Toronto is rolling with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, and that opens the door for Nick Blankenburg to make his season debut against the club he suited up for last year.
Tavares and his wife Aryn welcomed son Tucker on Friday. The 36-year-old alternate captain, who has three points through five games, was given the chance to remain with his family instead of joining the team for the middle stop on its Western road trip. That left head coach Jim Hiller looking for a way to fill the extra minutes, and he chose to do it by dressing another defenseman.
Hiller said the main reason for the move was simple: he wanted Blankenburg in the lineup.
“We really wanted to get Nick in. He had a good preseason. Didn’t want to keep him out too long,” Hiller said, choosing not to go with Zack MacEwen or Miles Wood, who was recalled Friday.
Blankenburg, a 28-year-old right-shot defenseman, signed a one-year, $1.4-million deal after a strong training-camp PTO and has been a healthy scratch through the first five games. He spent last season split between the Nashville Predators and Colorado after a deadline trade, appearing in 12 regular-season games and five playoff contests with the Avalanche before reaching free agency.
Hiller said Blankenburg has handled the wait well.
“He’s really, he’s been patient. He’s excited.
When he’s got in, he’s played well. It’s a whole team, so probably a little extra exciting for him tonight.”
The seven-defenseman look is not new territory for Hiller. He’s talked before about the flexibility it gives him, especially when he wants to shift ice time around during a game.
“I just can mix more guys around,” Hiller explained. “If somebody’s having a good night, I can find a little bit more ice time for them. … It’s nice to get somebody else who typically doesn’t play as much more minutes.”
There is a downside, though. Defensemen usually like the rhythm that comes with six on the roster rather than seven, and splitting the workload can make it tougher for pairings to settle in.
Toronto did adjust its defensive combinations at practice Friday at T-Mobile Arena, but Hiller said that wasn’t the main reason for using seven defensemen on Saturday.
He also kept his starting goalie under wraps. Hiller wouldn’t say whether Anthony Stolarz or Sergei Bobrovsky would get the nod, even after Bobrovsky turned in a 40-save performance in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss in Vegas.
The Leafs enter the game at 2-2-1, while the Avalanche come in at 3-1-0 and are averaging 5.75 goals per game. For Blankenburg, the night carries an extra twist: a return to Ball Arena in a lineup configuration built around Tavares’ family milestone and Hiller’s decision to get him back on the ice.
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