Nathan MacKinnon set up three goals and scored on the power play as the Colorado Avalanche overturned a 2-0 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in Denver on Friday night.
Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust gave Pittsburgh a quick two-goal lead, scoring within 29 seconds of each other midway through the first period. The Penguins appeared to have control until Colorado responded with five unanswered goals, including three in the second period, turning the game around.
Artturi Lehkonen scored twice for the Avalanche, including a goal just 25 seconds into the second period to cut the Penguins’ lead in half. Captain Gabriel Landeskog then put Colorado ahead with his 83rd career go-ahead goal, tying him with Mikko Rantanen for sixth-most in franchise history. Joe Sakic remains the all-time leader with 210.
T.J. Hughes, who scored his first NHL goal in the game, finished off a pass from MacKinnon to extend the lead. After scoring, Hughes was embraced by teammate Cale Makar and playfully squirted with water by Landeskog as he passed the bench.
MacKinnon’s involvement was central to the comeback. His three assists added to his tally against Sidney Crosby, improving MacKinnon’s record to 12-6-3 when facing his Nova Scotia friend. MacKinnon was also awarded a penalty shot during the game but was stopped by Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs.
The Avalanche’s power play, now led by assistant coach Brett McLean following Dave Hakstol’s departure to Arizona State, converted once from four chances. McLean’s debut in charge of the unit came in a game where Colorado showed resilience after falling behind early.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby recorded his 1,110th career assist, moving into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history. He is one assist short of tying Ray Bourque’s record for the most assists with one franchise.
Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood recovered from a shaky start to stop 29 shots, helping to keep the Penguins from mounting any further comeback attempts.
The Penguins will visit Vegas on Saturday night, while the Avalanche begin a two-game road trip starting Monday in Philadelphia.
According to Yahoo Sports.