Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon put on a show that made Cole Harbour proud

DENVER (AP) — Edmonton Oilers Hoodies Authentic , and it was MacKinnon who walked away with bragging rights for the Nova Scotia town.MacKinnon had a goal and three assists, including one on Gabe Landeskog’s tiebreaking score midway through the third period, and the surging Colorado Avalanche overcame Crosby’s natural hat trick to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Wednesday night.MacKinnon’s team won the matchup of hometown stars, but Crosby nearly stole it with his 11th career hat trick.“It’s not easy when Sid gets going,” MacKinnon said. “He starts kind of galloping out there.”Colorado won its sixth straight game and is 8-0-1 in its last nine.MacKinnon, 23, and Crosby, 31, are both former No. 1 overall draft picks. They have become offseason training partners and have made TV commercials together. Those things are put aside when they face each other twice a season, but Wednesday’s game might get a second viewing when they get together.“I’m sure this is a game we will talk about for a while Edmonton Oilers Hats Authentic ,” MacKinnon said. “We don’t play each other much, so for a regular-season game this is one of the fun ones I’ve been a part of. By Sid getting a hat trick and obviously us getting a big one.”MacKinnon had an empty-net goal with 29 seconds left, his 18th goal of the season. Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson, Colin Wilson and Carl Soderberg also scored for Colorado, and Mikko Rantanen had two assists.The Avalanche’s top line of MacKinnon, Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, who leads the NHL in scoring with 42 points, had eight points and continues to dominate. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan didn’t hesitate when asked if the trio is the best he’s seen this season.“Yes,” he said. “They’re not easy to contain. They’re three elite players that are all on the same line.”Sullivan has a two-time Hart Trophy winner in Crosby Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys , and he put on an MVP-worthy performance for the Penguins by erasing a 3-0 deficit by himself.He struck twice in the final minute of the second period. His first goal came off his own rebound on a breakaway with 52 seconds to go, and he scored again with 10 seconds left with Colorado defenseman Patrik Nemeth off for holding. Crosby tied it at 4:43 of the third to complete his first hat trick of the season. He has 13 goals.“Sid tried to will us a win with his effort,” Sullivan said. “I thought he was terrific. He was terrific all night long.”Landeskog broke the tie with his 15th goal at 10:05. The Penguins pulled Tristan Jarry for an extra skater, but MacKinnon and Soderberg scored to seal it.“We didn’t give up, so that’s a good thing,” Crosby said. “Still, when you put yourself in that position to get back in the game after coming back from three you want to at least get a point out of it.”Girard gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with his second goal at 11:19 of the first period. Johnson scored at 5:13 of the second and Wilson made it 3-0 at 7:52.The Penguins challenged Johnson’s goal for goaltender interference but it was upheld upon review.NOTES: Colorado D Tyson Barrie missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. … Pittsburgh D Kris Letang, who set a franchise record for games played in Winnipeg on Tuesday, had his four-game point streak snapped. … Colorado is 1-1-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season. It is 3-1-0 in the first game. … The first penalty wasn’t called until Crosby drew a holding-the-stick minor 49 seconds into the second period. Colorado’s Alexander Kerfoot got a high-sticking minor 19 seconds later.UP NEXTPenguins: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.Avalanche: Host St. Louis on Friday night. The Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils got away from what they’d be doing in their most recent games. That wasn’t a bad thing for the Devils, who would like to maintain their current direction. The Ducks www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com , on the other hand, hope to get back in their groove as soon as possible.Both teams will get a chance when they meet Sunday evening at Honda Center.The Devils (10-12-5) are coming off a 6-3 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, ending a six-game losing streak that dropped them into last place in the Eastern Conference.Article continues below ...New Jersey had two days in southern California to enjoy the win but now face back-to-back games at Anaheim and the San Jose Sharks on Monday.“It’s important for us to kind of hit the reset button again and get ready for the back-to-back coming up this weekend,” New Jersey forward Kyle Palmieri said after the win in Los Angeles.The Ducks (15-11-5) came out flat against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night and then were overrun in the third period of the 4-1 loss, ending a five-game winning streak.“Any time you have a lapse, it’s going to be frustrating,” Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson said. “You have to learn from it, come back (Saturday), we’ll have a good practice and be ready for Sunday.”The matchup between the Ducks and Devils will also mark the second return of New Jersey defenseman Sami Vatanen to Anaheim since he was traded to the Devils on Nov. 30, 2017 Florida Panthers T-Shirts Authentic , for forward Adam Henrique.Vatanen, whom the Ducks selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft and made his debut with Anaheim in February 2012, had an assist in his first return to Honda Center, a 4-2 win by the Ducks on March 18.Henrique had a six-game point streak end in the loss to Carolina on Friday night, but he remains third on the team in points with 17.Palmieri also came up through the Anaheim organization. He was selected by the Ducks in the same draft as Vatanen but in the first round. Palmieri spent parts of four seasons in Anaheim before he was traded to the Devils on June 26, 2015, for second and third-round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft.Palmieri scored a career-high 30 goals in his first season with New Jersey. He’s on pace to break that mark, coming into the weekend with 14 goals in 27 games.Palmieri scored twice against the Kings on Thursday, ending a four-game road losing streak, though the Devils are still just 3-10-1 away from home.Palmieri said road trips do have their way of bringing teams together.“You get away Florida Panthers Hoodies Authentic , your routine chances a little bit and it’s a fresh start. We’ve got to just focus on the game at hand,” Palmieri said. “You can’t worry about our road record this year, and you can’t worry about October or November. It’s something to build off, for sure.”