The Colorado Avalanche went from down two goals to a 5-2 blowout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and if you blinked, you probably missed TJ Hughes snagging his first career goal in the middle of all that chaos. What an absolute rollercoaster of a game, honestly, where the Avs just found a way to flip the script when it looked like Pittsburgh had them dead to rights.
The Penguins Came Out Swinging, But Couldn’t Finish
Talk about a gut punch to start! The Penguins exploded near the halfway mark of the first period. First, Evgeni Malkin slipped one past Mackenzie Blackwood after a sweet passing play, and then, barely 29 seconds later, Bryan Rust got behind what looked like a lazy Avalanche defense to finish a textbook 2-on-1 from Sidney Crosby. Two goals in under half a minute? Yeah, that’s a tough look. Pittsburgh was up 2-0 and had a wild 14-5 shot advantage by the end of the first period. It felt like Colorado was still getting off the bus, but Artturi Lehkonen managed to get one back on their third shot of the night, giving us a tiny sliver of hope before the buzzer. Still, 2-1 Pittsburgh and a shots stat that just didn’t inspire confidence.
Avalanche Put the Pedal Down and Ran Away With It
You gotta love a good second period comeback, right? Just a minute into the middle frame, Lehkonen was right there again, getting his second of the game on a greasy net-front deflection. That’s how you tie it up! Then Nathan MacKinnon had a penalty shot, and shocker, couldn’t convert, making him 0 for 5 in his career on those. Wild, right? But the Avs didn’t even sweat it. Just a minute later, Gabe Landeskog got a tap-in after Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs went full face-plant in the crease. And then, the absolute cherry on top: right after an Avalanche power play expired, TJ Hughes potted his first-ever NHL goal to make it 4-2. That’s a memory you never forget! By the third period, the outcome wasn’t really a mystery, even if Pittsburgh tried to get back in it with a few chances. MacKinnon finally lit the lamp on a power play with five minutes left, cementing the 5-2 win.
Look, this wasn’t a defensive masterpiece by Colorado, and honestly, Pittsburgh probably deserved better from the analytics. They actually won the expected goals battle at 55% and dominated in Corsi for, plus they had 18 high-danger shots to Colorado’s 10. But sometimes, you just gotta find a way to outscore the other team, even when they’re owning the possession game. The Avalanche clearly found enough offense and counterattack to turn that game on its head. It shows you what this team can do when they decide to turn it on, even after a rough start!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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