Nathan MacKinnon has goal and 3 assists, Artturi Lehkonen scores twice as Avs beat Penguins 5-2

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had three assists and a power-play goal, Artturi Lehkonen scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Friday night.

T.J. Hughes scored his first NHL goal, while Mackenzie Blackwood settled in after a shaky start to stop 29 shots.

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead after scoring 29 seconds apart midway through the first period. The Avalanche erupted for five straight tallies, including three in the second period.

Colorado finished 1 of 4 on the power play in the Avalanche debut of assistant coach Brett McLean. He's in charge of the unit after Dave Hakstol left to take over as head coach of the men's hockey program at Arizona State.

Lehkonen's second goal tied it 25 seconds into the second period. Captain Gabriel Landeskog had a goal nearly four minutes later for his 83rd career go-ahead score. He's tied with Mikko Rantanen for sixth-most in Avalanche history. Hall of Famer Joe Sakic tops the list with 210.

Hughes got free down low and poked in a pass from MacKinnon. He was hugged by Cale Makar and then playfully squirted with water by Landeskog as Hughes made his way past the bench.

Sidney Crosby notched his 1,110th career assist to move into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history. He's also one assist shy of matching Ray Bourque (1,111 with Boston) for the most in league history with a one franchise.

MacKinnon improved to 12-6-3 when playing against Crosby, his good buddy from Nova Scotia. MacKinnon was awarded a penalty shot, but was stopped by Arturs Silovs.

Penguins: At Vegas on Saturday night.

Avalanche: Two-game road swing starting Monday night at Philadelphia.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Colorado Avalanche left wing Jaden Schwartz (71) collects the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel, left, pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon drives downice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) collects the puck as Colorado Avalanche right wing T.J. Hughes, right, defends in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, left, scores past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, second from left, in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Trudy strengthened slightly Friday evening as it moved towards southwestern and west-central areas of Mexico's Pacific coast and could keep growing through Saturday, forecasters said.

The center of Trudy will approach the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico on Saturday and pass near the coast Saturday night into Sunday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Manzanillo in Colima state to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco.

The storm was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kmh) on Friday night.

It was reported as Category 3 early Friday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami later said satellite wind data showed it was weaker than indicated.

Trudy was about 210 miles (335 kilometers) southwest of Acapulco, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and about 290 miles (465 kilometers) south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima state, while moving north slightly faster, at 7 mph (11 kph), the center said.

The Mexican Navy urged the maritime community and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution due to high waves, heavy rains, and the risk of rising river levels, flooding, and landslides in vulnerable areas.

The state of Colima has said that risks are currently low, but the storm could bring significant rainfall that could have damaging effects due to the saturated ground following the successive storms that have hit the Pacific coast.

Through the weekend, Trudy is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain, with isolated higher totals around 15 inches along and near the southwest Mexican coast in Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

To the northwest of Trudy, the remnants of Hurricane Simon dissipated Friday near the Southern end of South Baja California. It had 40 mph (65 kph) winds and was forecast to keep weakening.

Also in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Champi was intensifying and moving west towards Marianas, moving west at 13 mph (20 kph), with maximum sustained winds increasing to 60 mph (96 kph), according to the U.S. Weather Service and the U.S. Navy's Meteorology and Oceanography Command website.

A typhoon warning was issued for Guam and Rota along with a tropical storm warning for Tinian, Saipan and nearby areas.

This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken on Thursday, Oct. 15 2026, shows Hurricane Trudy in the Pacific. (NOAA via AP)