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Video: Nathan MacKinnon’s first career playoff goal is gorgeous

Minnesota Wild v Colorado Avalanche - Game Two

Game Two of the First Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 19, 2014 in Denver, Colorado.

Doug Pensinger

If Colorado Avalanche rookie Nathan MacKinnon is experiencing any playoff jitters, he sure is converting that nervous energy into outstanding results.

It’s still early in Game 2, yet the top pick of the 2013 NHL Draft already has four playoff points. He generated three assists in Game 1 and topped himself with an ankle-breaking move to score an absolute beauty for his first career playoff goal:

For all that’s been (fairly) made about the Avalanche arguably being as lucky as they are good, it’s easy to forget that MacKinnon has blossomed from a good player early in his first season to a legitimate star down the stretch.

Update: Late in the second period, MacKinnon added two assists so he’ll finish the night with at least six playoff points. He’s 18.

Another update: MacKinnon grabbed an assist on an empty-netter, giving him an absurd seven points in his first two playoff games.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins