Avalanche Rally From Two-Goal Deficit to Defeat Penguins 5-2 Behind MacKinnon and Lehkonen.
DENVER, Colo. — The Colorado Avalanche overcame an early two-goal deficit Friday night, October 16, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 at home behind a four-point performance from Nathan MacKinnon and two goals from Artturi Lehkonen. MacKinnon recorded one goal and three assists, while Lehkonen helped lead Colorado's comeback. Rookie T.J. Hughes scored his first NHL goal, Gabriel Landeskog added a goal, and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 29 saves. Pittsburgh controlled the opening stages of the game, building a 2-0 advantage midway through the first period. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored just 29 seconds apart, putting Colorado in an early hole. However, the Avalanche responded with five unanswered goals to take control of the contest. Lehkonen played a major role in Colorado's comeback, scoring twice, including the tying goal just 25 seconds into the second period. His offensive production helped shift momentum in favor of the Avalanche after Pittsburgh's strong start. Nearly four minutes later, Landeskog scored to give Colorado the lead. The goal marked the 83rd go-ahead goal of his NHL career, moving him into a tie with former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen for sixth place in franchise history.
Colorado continued to build its advantage when Hughes found space near the Pittsburgh net and converted a pass from MacKinnon for his first career NHL goal. The milestone added another highlight to an impressive offensive performance by the Avalanche. MacKinnon also contributed on special teams, scoring a power-play goal as Colorado finished 1-for-4 with the man advantage. The game marked assistant coach Brett McLean's first overseeing the Avalanche power-play unit following Dave Hakstol's departure to become the head coach at Arizona State. Despite allowing two early goals, Blackwood recovered and helped shut down Pittsburgh's offense for the remainder of the game. His 29 saves provided stability as Colorado completed its comeback.
The matchup also featured another meeting between MacKinnon and longtime friend Sidney Crosby. With the victory, MacKinnon's record in head-to-head games against Crosby improved to 12-6-3. MacKinnon had an opportunity to add another goal on a penalty shot, but Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs made the stop. Crosby reached a significant career milestone despite Pittsburgh's loss, recording his 1,110th NHL assist. The achievement moved him into sole possession of seventh place on the league's all-time assists list and brought him within one assist of Ray Bourque's record for the most assists with a single franchise. For Colorado, the victory highlighted the team's ability to respond after a difficult opening period. The Avalanche received contributions from established stars and younger players while holding Pittsburgh scoreless over the final two periods. Looking Ahead The Penguins will continue their road trip Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche will begin a two-game road trip Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, looking to carry the momentum from their comeback victory into their next matchup.
