The Penguins and Avalanche hadn’t seen each other for years, and now completed a quick two-game season series within a matter of days. Colorado took a 3-2 home victory on Saturday and Pittsburgh was looking to avenge the loss.
However, it wasn’t to be. A strong start didn’t yield enough results and the Pens were unable to handle Colorado’s strong pushback in the second period as they regrouped.
Bryan Rust scored two goals in the first period, but unfortunately for him that meant accidentally chipping a puck in his own net when back-checking on Mikko Rantanen. Nathan MacKinnon would be credited for the goal with his centering pass and being the last Avalanche player to touch the ice before it went in.