Led by Captain Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins ended their four-game losing streak by defeating none other than the Colorado Avalanche. Nearly unbeatable of late, Jared Bednar’s troops were defeated 5-2 at the Ball Arena on Wednesday night.
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The visitors have drastically defeated Alexander Georgiev, who has been victorious in his last five starts. The “Pens” fired 45 shots into the Avalanche goalie’s net.
Crosby opened the scoring in the first period with his 30th goal. This is the 11th season the No. 87 has reached that milestone with the Penguins, earning him fourth place in league history. Only Alex Ovechkin (17), Gordie Howe (14) and Bobby Hull (13) have achieved more with the same team.
Another veteran, Jeff Carter, helped Pittsburgh beat the Avalanche with a brace. The 38-year-old striker completed two terrific passes from his teammates. Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust (with an empty goal) completed the scoring.
It is Colorado’s first loss in seven games. JT Compher and Devon Toews hit the target, and Nathan MacKinnon had a 90th point. The Nova Scotian has reached that milestone four times but is still chasing a 100-point debut season.
In the Eastern Conference table, the Penguins (80 points) are ahead of the Florida Panthers (79) and hold the last ticket to the playoffs. The New York Islanders are just ahead with 82 points but have one game left.