Colorado Avalanche Relish Rematch against Pittsburgh Penguins
The Colorado Avalanche engage in a rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins just a little while after their wild 6-3 victory.
The Colorado Avalanche play their second game of a four-game roadie tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two teams played each other just a few days ago. Sidney Crosby got a natural hat trick. Nathan MacKinnon recorded a goal and three assists. Colorado won.
The big story when these two teams meet is the two Cole Harbour natives — MacKinnon and Crosby. Nate will always be in Sid’s shadow. However, game by game, we get to see which superstar will prevail.
And here’s the thing — Nate is the up-and-comer. Crosby may be Sid the Kid, but the truth is that MacKinnon is the kid now at 23 to Crosby’s 31 — those eight years are half a lifetime in professional hockey. MacK is striding into his prime. Crosby is nearing veteran status.
So, while Nate will never eclipse Crosby’s overall achievements, game-by-game… he may well prevail more often than not. As we saw in the fame at Pepsi Center, that certainly seems to be what happened.
Well, now that I’ve given the Nova Scotia rivalry that much build up, probably bothe will be pretty quiet tonight.
Let’s look at some keys to the game anyway.
How to Enjoy the Game
Game time: December 4, 5:00 pm MT
TV Networks: Alt , TVAS, ATTSN-PT (Pens’ feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (FM 92.5)
Defensive Play
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The Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins are two high octane offenses. Naturally, the Avs have the hottes line in the NHL (more on that in a moment.) The Pens have. Sidney Crosby and Evegni Malkin. And some dude named Phil Kessel. On three different lines.
All that offensive firepower means the defense has to be on top of its game, for both teams.
The Pens have a pretty star-studded defense. The Avs’ blueline is younger. Which will pevail – youth or experience?
On a positive note, Colorado may be getting its best offensive defenseman back. Tyson Barrie has been out the lastfew games due to an unspecified injury. However, he’s on the trip with the team. And, reports are that he may be in the lineup tonight. That’s a big boost for Colorado.
Top Line En Fuego
The Penguins have some scorers, there’s no question. Makin leads the team with 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists). Crosby is next with 29 (14 goals, 15 assists), followed by that dude Kessel with 28 (10 goals, 18 assists).
It’s just that the Avalanche’s top line is on fire. Mikko Rantanen doesn’t just lead the team with his points (11 goals, 4 assists), he leads the entire NHL. And MacKinnon is right behind with 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists.) Captain Gabriel Landeskog is the slacker with just 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) — whch, of course, matches Pittsburgh’s leading scorer.
Pittsburgh can roll out three really good lines. Colorado is not as deep. The team still relies largely on the top line for magic. However, don’t sleep on the secondary scoring — they can pot a few in when called upon.
dark. Next. Calvert Sucker Punched from Detroit Bench
This is the second and final meeting between the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins. After tonight, the Avs head down to Florida to meet first the Panthers then the Lightning before coming home for a homestand.