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Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche bury Sidney Crosby, Penguins | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche bury Sidney Crosby, Penguins

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen celebrates with Nathan MacKinnon after MacKinnon’s goal against the Penguins in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby fends off the Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Avalanches’ Mikko Rantanen celebrates his goal against the Penguins in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
Avalanches goaltender Scott Wedgewood makes a save on the Penguins’ Bryan Rust in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ Philip Tomasino watches as Cody Glass’ shot beats Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgwood in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ Michael Bunting celebrates his goal against the Avalanche in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry makes a stick save on the Avalanche’s Parker Kelly in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Avalanches’ Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen celebrate with Mikko Rantanen after Rantanen’s goal against the Penguins in the second period Tuesday.

Sidney Crosby doesn’t have many choices for offseason training partners who operate at a demanding NHL-caliber level in his hometown — home village, really — of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

But the Pittsburgh Penguins captain does have a pretty good option.

Perhaps the best one.

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, the other superstar from their modestly sized community, keeps Crosby sharp during some furious skating sessions on the Atlantic coast.

“That’s good obviously for me just with how fast and how skilled and everything that he does,” Crosby said Monday in Cranberry. “Having to go against someone like that every day is good. It’s great for me.”

Tuesday’s matchup between the two teams did not turn out great for Crosby and the Penguins as they were thumped by MacKinnon and the Avalanche, 6-2, at PPG Paints Arena.

Crosby was held without a point while MacKinnon collected a goal and four assists.

One of only 21 players in NHL history with 600 career goals, Crosby has not scored since he tabulated his 600th goal on Nov. 23. Since then, he has gone seven consecutive games, including Tuesday’s loss, without a goal.

“I don’t feel like I’ve forgotten how to (score),” Crosby quipped after the loss. “But you definitely have to find ways to either get shots through or get around the net a little bit more. That’s on me to find the net.”

The man in the Penguins’ net did not have a sharp night himself. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 21 saves on 26 shots as his record fell to 5-4-1.

Coach Mike Sullivan agreed with a suggestion that Jarry — who entered the day with a season-best four-game winning streak — took a step back on Tuesday.

“I thought so,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t think he was as good tonight.”

MacKinnon had a good night from the start as he opened the scoring 6:31 into regulation with his 10th goal of the season.

As Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk pinched in at the right point of Colorado’s zone, Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen poked the puck into the neutral zone. Darting after it to claim possession, MacKinnon jabbed it forward and gained the Penguins’ zone on the left wing. After looking off a potential cross-ice pass to linemate Artturi Lehkonen, MacKinnon ripped a wrister to the far side that glanced off the left sleeve of Jarry and hit twine. Rantanen and defenseman Devon Toews had assists.

Rantanen’s team-leading 16th goal came at 18:22 of the first period.

Driving the puck into the offensive zone on the right wing, Lehkonen circumnavigated his way behind the cage to the left corner but lost the puck thanks to a stick check by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar alertly reclaimed the puck in the left circle, deked around Letang and slid a clever short-area pass past Penguins forward Rickard Rakell above the crease. Going backhand to forehand to backhand to forehand, Rantanen clunked in a wrister over Jarry’s right skate. Makar merited the only assist.

Another goal by Rantanen put the Avalanche up by a field goal at 5:46 of the second period.

After Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier failed to clear a puck from his own slot, Avalanche defenseman Calvin de Haan controlled it at the center point. Surveying his options for a moment, de Haan slid a pass to the lower right circle where Rantanen pumped a one-timer from a bad angle that thumped off Jarry’s glove and found an avenue between his wrist and left hip on the near side. Assists went to de Haan and MacKinnon.

Trailing early against any opponent is less than ideal. But doing so against an eruptive opponent such as the talented Avalanche is all the more difficult.

“The opportunities they had, they were able to score on. Obviously, that’s why they’re such a threat,” Jarry said. “Their top-six (forwards are) very good, and they’re able to put the puck to the net when they have the opportunity, and I think they did that tonight.”

Forward Cody Glass’ first goal of the season and first as a member of the Penguins came at 7:21 of the second frame.

Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski tried to rim a puck from behind his cage off the right wing boards but had it intercepted by Letang, who then offloaded a pass to the slot for forward Evgeni Malkin. Backtracking a bit toward the left circle, Malkin slid the puck to open space in the right circle for Glass, who wired a wrister through goaltender Scott Wedgewood’s five hole. Malkin and Letang logged assists.

“At one point, I didn’t think I was ever going to score again,” Glass quipped. “It was a good feeling. That’s what happens when you play with (Malkin), he’ll find you anywhere. It’s a play where (Letang) makes a great play on the wall, gives it to him and he finds me streaking backside. Give me that much time and space, hopefully I score.”

It became a one-score game when Penguins forward Michael Bunting registered his seventh goal of the season at 18:53 of the middle frame.

Deep in Colorado’s left corner, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson corralled a puck, spun to his right and distributed a pass to the slot for Bunting, who lifted a wrister over Wedgewood’s blocker. Karlsson and forward Bryan Rust recorded assists.

Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin snuffed out any notion of a comeback with his seventh goal 3:23 into the third period.

Driving the puck in off the right wing of the offensive zone, Nichuskin surged past minimal resistance by Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, cut across the front of the crease and tucked in a forehand shot by Jarry’s right skate as Karlsson attempted a passive poke check. MacKinnon had the only assist.

Pettersson repeatedly placed blame for the goal on himself.

“We clawed our way back,” Pettersson said. “Went into the third (period) one goal down. Got a little bit of momentum there at the end. It was unfortunate. I made a misread on (Nichuskin’s goal) and kind of killed our momentum. I stopped in the neutral zone. He’s a very good player. A deceptive player.

“I made a bad read.”

Lehkonen penned his eighth goal at 12:21 of the third.

Driving a puck into the Penguins’ zone, MacKinnon lugged it to the left corner and rimmed it along the end boards toward the right corner for Rantanen, who flicked a forehand pass past Pettersson to the right of the crease. With Glass not in a position to break up the sequence, Lehkonen snapped a wrister by Jarry’s blocker. Rantanen and MacKinnon collected assists.

Rantanen completed a hat trick on an empty net at 15:08 of the final period. MacKinnon and Toews had assists.

“(Against) a team like that — that has so, so much skill — you have to play a physical game,” Letang said. “You have to slow them down with your neutral zone forecheck. If they come at you with speed, they’re going to hurt you.”

A goal by Crosby could salve just about anything that ails the Penguins these days.

“He’s just got to stay with it,” Sullivan said. “He’s too good of a player. He’ll score goals. It’s just getting inside a little bit more. Just executing on some of the looks that he might have.

“He’ll score. He’s too good.”

Notes:

• Penguins backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was unavailable for portions of the first and second periods after he was struck under the right eye by a puck while seated at the home bench at 12:02 of the opening period. He returned to the bench approximately three minutes into the second period sporting a welt under his right eye.

Following the game, Sullivan indicated Nedeljkovic simply required stitches and there was no reason for concern over a greater injury.

• Penguins forward Philip Tomasino returned to the lineup after missing one game due to an undisclosed injury.

• Penguins forwards Matt Nieto and Jesse Puljujarvi as well as defenseman Ryan Shea were healthy scratches.

• The Penguins went more than a quarter-century between allowing hat tricks to the Avalanche. Forward Valeri Kamenski scored three on goaltender Peter Skudra in a 5-4 Avalanche win at the Civic Arena, Jan. 3, 1998.

The Penguins lost that game despite only giving up 14 shots.

-MacKinnon and Rantanen each had five points. The last time the Penguins allowed two players to score five or more points in the same game came during an 8-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Dec. 11, 2007.

Forwards Joffrey Lupul (six) and R.J. Umbergber (five) each hit that mark.

Despite those offensive exploits, that game is far more famous for Penguins forward Gary Roberts beating up Flyers forward Ben Eager:

• In 23 career games gainst the Avalanche, malkin has 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists).

• In 10 career games against the Avalanche, Bunting has 12 points (six goals, six assists).

• Jarry recorded an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 16:44 of the second period. It was the first penalty assessed to a Penguins goaltender this season.

• Rantanen appeared in his 600th career game.

• In 21 career games against the Penguins, MacKinnon has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists).

• In 16 career games against the Penguins, Rantanen has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists).

• In 10 career games against the Penguins, Toews has 10 points (two goals, eight assists).

• Former Penguins defenseman John Ludvig was a healthy scratch for the Avalanche.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
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