Avalanche Top Penguins 2-1
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jonathan Bernier stopped 39 shots and Mark Barberio scored in the third period, helping the Colorado Avalanche top the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Monday night.
Blake Comeau added an empty netter against his former team as Colorado won its second straight after a string of six losses in seven games. It was Comeau's seventh of the season.
Barberio put the Avalanche ahead to stay 6:17 into the third. His slap shot off the rush hit Pittsburgh forward Riley Sheahan in front and got past goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Bernier was on track for his second shutout of the season before Phil Kessel scored his team-best 15th goal for Pittsburgh at 19:48. Bernier beat the Penguins for just the second time in 10 career games.
Kessel has points in 25 of 32 games this season and eight straight home games, his longest streak since joining the Penguins.
Jarry, making his eighth straight appearance, stopped 26 shots in the finale of a season-long five-game homestand. Pittsburgh lost for the third time in four games following a four-game winning streak.
Colorado thought it scored in the opening period when Nathan MacKinnon deftly worked around Penguins defenseman Kris Letang at the blue line and squeezed a shot between Jarry's pads. But the goal was overturned on a coach's challenge for offsides.
Jarry kept the game scoreless in the second period with a sharp left-pad save on a wide-open J.T. Compher from the slot in 4-on-4 play. He also made a glove stop on an open Carl Soderberg from close range and a stick save on Compher during a short-handed breakaway.
NOTES: Penguins F Patric Hornqvist (upper body) was in the lineup after leaving during the third period of Saturday's loss against Toronto. ... Penguins G Matt Murray participated in the morning skate for the second time since sustaining a lower-body injury on Nov. 27. Murray is considered day to day. ... Avalanche F Nail Yakupov missed his third straight game with an illness. ... Colorado dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen. ... Penguins F Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body) missed his second game. . It was the 500th consecutive home sellout for the Penguins. ... Pittsburgh plays at Colorado next Monday night.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Close a five-game road trip Tuesday at Washington.
Penguins: Begin a three-game road trip Thursday at Vegas.
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