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The Colorado Avalanche secured a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rare early-season matchup featuring Sidney Crosby in Denver. The game, which saw Pittsburgh jump out to an early lead, ultimately turned in Colorado's favor thanks to a balanced offensive attack.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring midway through the first period when Evgeni Malkin finished a crisp passing sequence, beating a screened Mackenzie Blackwood. Just 29 seconds later, Bryan Rust converted a 2-on-1 rush set up by Crosby, putting the Penguins up 2-0. Colorado responded late in the period with Artturi Lehkonen scoring on the team's third shot, cutting the deficit to 2-1 after one frame. Pittsburgh held a commanding 14-5 shot advantage in the opening period.
The Avalanche came out strong in the second period, with Lehkonen netting his second goal just a minute after intermission on a gritty net-front deflection. Shortly after, Nathan MacKinnon was awarded a penalty shot but failed to convert, dropping to 0-for-5 in his career on penalty shots. However, Colorado regained momentum when Gabe Landeskog tapped in a loose puck after Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs was left sprawled in the crease. Late in the period, TJ Hughes scored his first NHL goal just after a power play expired, giving the Avalanche a 4-2 lead.
The third period saw Pittsburgh generate chances but fail to score, while Nathan MacKinnon finally converted on the power play with five minutes remaining to seal the 5-2 win for Colorado.
Key Analysis
Despite the final score, this was far from a defensive masterpiece for Colorado. Pittsburgh controlled 55% of expected goals and Corsi, and held an 18-10 advantage in high-danger scoring chances, reflecting several extended shifts in the Avalanche zone. Colorado's offense and counterattack proved decisive, but the defensive trends may be a concern moving forward. With Logan O'Connor, Zach L'Heureux, and Nic Roy unavailable, coach Jared Bednar has been dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Defenseman Noah Juulsen had a rough outing, playing just over seven minutes with a 20% expected goals share. As the Avalanche head out on an East Coast road trip, they may want to consider a fuller roster.
Colorado will have a weekend off before beginning a quick two-game road trip in Philadelphia on Monday, October 19th, with puck drop scheduled for 5 p.m. MT.
Originally reported by yahoo.