Sturdy team defense has been a hallmark of the success the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins have enjoyed.
Odd-man rushes or second-chance rebounds have largely been stifled through an adherence to a sound defensive scheme during five-on-five play or even while on the penalty kill over the first five-plus months of the season.
But as of late, the Penguins have been perforated like a train ticket by the opposition.
That trend continued against the NHL’s top team, the Colorado Avalanche, in a 6-2 loss at PPG Paints Arena.
It marked the fourth consecutive game the Penguins have allowed four or more goals.
“It’s not one thing,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said of his team’s porous defense. “That’s not how I see it.
“I’m not going to sit up here and go through all of them. It’s not one specific thing.”
Whatever the tabulation of those things may be, it added up to a half-dozen goals, five of which were put behind rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs, who stopped 24 of 29 shots as his record fell to 16-10-8.
Team officials declined to make Silovs available after the game.
With forward Evgeni Malkin scratched because of an undisclosed injury, the Penguins (35-20-16) slipped behind the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-22-11, 87 points), who moved into second place of the Metropolitan Division.
As for the Avalanche (47-13-10, 104 points), that outfit maintained its grip on the top spot in the overall league standings.
Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s other superstar from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, opened the scoring 4 minutes, 57 seconds into regulation with a dazzling individual effort that led to his 46th goal of the season.
Settling a puck above Colorado’s left circle, Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon retreated to the blue line but lost possession while being harassed by MacKinnon. Poking the puck away from Wotherspoon, MacKinnon hustled his way through the neutral zone, entered the Penguins’ zone and attacked the net as Wotherspoon struggled to keep up. Upon arrival, MacKinnon fired a wrister past Silovs’ glove.
Penguins forward Egor Chinakhov tied the score at 8:09 of the first frame with his 17th goal, a career high.
Accepting the puck at the right point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang slid it across the ice to Girard. Drifting a bit toward the left boards, Girard moved the puck to the center point where Chinakhov wound up and chopped a one-timer past goaltender Scott Wedgewood’s blocker. Assists went to Letang (his 800th career point) and Girard (his 200th career assist).
The Avalanche responded with a hiccup-quick outburst of three goals over a span of 115 seconds to go up by a field goal.
Defenseman Sam Malinski struck first with his fourth goal at the 15:24 mark, firing a wrister from the right point of the offensive zone.
Then at the 16:44 mark, forward Martin Necas found his 33rd goal during a power-play sequence, firing a one-timer from the Penguins’ left circle off a dynamic passing sequence.
That was followed by forward Parker Kelly’s 16th goal. He completed another precise series of passes with a wrister from the Penguins’ left circle.
Penguins forward Justin Brazeau appeared to score a goal at 7:38 of the second period as he cleaned up a rebound during a furious goalmouth scramble. But the Avalanche issued a coach’s challenge, claiming goaltender interference.
Following the review, the officials euthanized the score, much to the disdain of the Penguins, who have been denied on all eight coach’s challenges they have issued for goaltender interference this season.
Necas found the net again at 17:28 of the middle period, cleaning up a rebound surrendered by Silovs.
After Penguins forward Rickard Rakell registered his 15th goal at 11:47 of the third period, Avalanche forward Ross Colton capped the scoring with his ninth goal on an empty net at the 16:20 mark.
