- Oct 16, 2026
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Nathan MacKinnon delivered a four-point performance as the Colorado Avalanche rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Thursday.
The Penguins jumped ahead early with two goals in the opening period. Ville Koivunen, slotting into the lineup for injured Egor Chinakhov, set up Evgeni Malkin for the opener. Sidney Crosby found Bryan Rust just 29 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. Colorado outshot Pittsburgh 14-5 in the first period but trailed on the scoreboard.
Artturi Lehkonen sparked the comeback, scoring twice to tie the game early in the second period. Arturs Silovs denied MacKinnon on a penalty shot after Erik Karlsson hooked the Avalanche star. Gabriel Landeskog converted a backdoor feed from Brock Nelson to give Colorado the lead, and MacKinnon later set up TJ Hughes before blasting home his own goal for a 5-2 advantage.
MacKinnon finished with one goal and three primary assists. Malkin, who scored at age 40, drew praise for his creativity. "There's not many skilled and bold enough to pull that move off at any age," an observer noted. The Penguins' power play remained cold, going 0-for-19 over the last six games.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).