MacKinnon leads Avalanche comeback as Colorado beats Penguins 5-2

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists as the Colorado Avalanche rallied from two goals down to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Friday, October 16, in Denver. Artturi Lehkonen scored twice as Colorado answered a 2-0 first-period deficit with five consecutive goals, according to the Associated Press.

How Colorado overturned Pittsburgh’s lead

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored 29 seconds apart midway through the first period to put Pittsburgh ahead. Lehkonen’s second goal drew Colorado level just 25 seconds into the second period. Captain Gabriel Landeskog then scored the go-ahead goal nearly four minutes later. Three of the Avalanche’s five unanswered goals came in that period.

T.J. Hughes scored his first NHL goal after getting free near the net and putting in a pass from MacKinnon. MacKinnon also scored on the power play. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood settled in after a shaky start and stopped 29 shots, according to AP.

McLean’s power-play debut and Crosby’s milestone

Colorado went 1-for-4 on the power play in assistant coach Brett McLean’s Avalanche debut. McLean took charge of the unit after Dave Hakstol left to lead Arizona State’s men’s hockey program. Before the game, The Hockey News identified McLean’s arrival as a change behind Colorado’s bench and Blackwood as the expected starting goaltender.

Both teams entered after defeats: Colorado had lost 3-2 to the Dallas Stars in a shootout, while Pittsburgh had fallen 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks, The Hockey News reported in its game preview. That made the Denver matchup a chance for each club to respond to a loss.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby recorded his 1,110th career assist in the game, moving into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history. AP reported that it left him one assist short of Ray Bourque’s 1,111 assists with Boston, the league record for a player with one franchise.