The Colorado Avalanche take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night. The matchup features teams trending in different directions. The Avalanche are looking to solidify their hold on a playoff spot in the Central Division.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are slowly circling the drain of a rebuild. While they’re still a talented team, they lack the key pieces to make them a true contender. The Penguins are stuck at the bottom of the Metro Division, hoping to turn their season around.
When looking back at the history between these two teams, the Colorado Avalanche have been largely successful against the Penguins. Colorado is 45-38-7-6 all-time versus the Pens. That fourth column represents ties, which are no longer part of the game.
The first time these two clubs met was on November 28, 1979. This was the Quebec Nordiques that originally joined the NHL following the end of the WHA in 1979. That initial meeting was a 7-2 pounding in favor of the Penguins.
Since then, the Nordiques/Avalanche have gotten the upper hand on the Penguins. However, the Penguins have dominated over the last 10 games. The Colorado Avalanche are 4-6 in that span. The two clubs split the season series last year, with the Avalanche winning the last matchup 5-4 on March 24, 2024. The Penguins took the other meeting from last year, shutting out the Avs 4-0 on October 26, 2023.
It’s worth pointing out that Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins have never met in the playoffs. As it stands now, the only way the Penguins and Avalanche could meet in the playoffs would be in the Stanley Cup Final.
It would certainly be interesting to see a Sidney Crosby-Nathan Mackinnon matchup. However, that prospect seems somewhat unlikely, at least for this season.
All-time Colorado Avalanche scorers versus Pittsburgh Penguins
Colorado Avalanche legend Joe Sakic leads the club with 27 goals and 63 points in 40 games. Peter Stastny is second with 50 points in 29 games.
Nathan MacKinnon has 21 points in 20 games for the current Avalanche team. Captain Gabe Landeskog has 15 points in 15 games against the Penguins.
Interestingly enough, most of the leading scorers come from the Wayback machine. Current team member Mikko Rantanen has 11 points (2G, 9A) in 13 games against the Penguins. Meanwhile, Cale Makar has registered two assists in seven career games against the Penguins.
Mackinnon, Makar, Rantanen, and company will be looking to continue adding to their point totals against the Penguins. Tuesday night’s game has serious implications in the standings for both clubs. So, fans should expect a spirited affair.
(All stats courtesy of StatsMuse)