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Nathan MacKinnon delivered a four-point performance (one goal, three assists), and Artturi Lehkonen found the net twice as the Colorado Avalanche shook off an early deficit to defeat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Friday night at Ball Arena.
The Avalanche came out flat, enduring one of their worst periods of the young season, but responded with a dominant second period in which they scored three times and peppered Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs with 18 shots.
Lehkonen tied the game 2-2 on the opening shift of the middle frame. MacKinnon's shot popped up in the air near the crease, and Lehkonen grabbed it, dropped it near Silovs' feet, and nudged it across the goal line. He celebrated the quintessential Lehkonen goal by being shoved into the crossbar by Crosby. The tally gave Lehkonen six goals in eight games this season; he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at year's end.
MacKinnon earned a penalty shot at 4:09 of the second period but failed to convert against Silovs. However, captain Gabe Landeskog put Colorado ahead on the very next shift. Brock Nelson collected the rebound of a Nazem Kadri shot in the slot and slid it to Landeskog at the right post for a tap-in at 4:24, with Silovs down and out.
T.J. Hughes scored his first career NHL goal at 14:57 of the second, just four seconds after a Penguins penalty expired, so it did not count as a power-play goal in new assistant coach Brett McLean's first game with the club. MacKinnon drove to the net from the left flank and backhanded a pass to Hughes at the edge of the crease, and Landeskog gave the rookie a customary water-bottle shower as he skated past the bench.
MacKinnon extended the lead to 5-2 in the third period with the first power-play goal of the McLean era. He blasted a one-timer from the left circle while stumbling to the ice after a feed from Cale Makar, who finished with two assists.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring at 8:28 of the first period when Evgeni Malkin took a slick pass from Ville Koivunen in the neutral zone, cut to the inside, and scored while falling down. Just 29 seconds later, former Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard ignited a 2-on-1 that led to Bryan Rust converting a lay-up from Crosby. The Penguins continued to surge and rattled off 10 consecutive shots on goal at one point.
MacKinnon sparked the comeback by blowing past a Penguins defenseman on the rush and setting up Lehkonen at the top of the crease for his first goal of the night at 11:01.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, making his sixth start in eight games, turned in his second straight strong outing with 29 saves, including several key stops, as Colorado's play without the puck was not up to its standard early on.
Key Analysis
The Avalanche's resilience was on full display after a disastrous opening period. MacKinnon's ability to drive play and create scoring chances proved decisive, while Lehkonen's nose for the net continued to pay dividends. The victory also marked a successful debut for assistant coach Brett McLean, whose power-play unit clicked for the first time under his guidance. Pittsburgh's early momentum, fueled by goals from Malkin and Rust, evaporated as Colorado's depth and star power took over.
Originally reported by headtopics.