Jarry lit up, failed comeback and more: 3 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins lost 6-2 to Colorado Avalanche 

The Pittsburgh Penguins were on the wrong end of a 6-2 pounding on Tuesday night, as the Colorado Avalanche won their third straight, taking the two points from the Pens at PPG Paints Arena.

Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick for the Avalanche, with Nathan Mackinnon, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen also scoring for Colorado. Cody Glass got his first of the year, with Michael Bunting adding his seventh for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here’s a closer look at three key reasons why Pittsburgh lost to Colorado on Tuesday.

3 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins lost 6-2 to Colorado Avalanche

#3. Pens’ cold power play

The Pittsburgh Penguins' power play went 0-for-4 on the night. The Pens got two power play opportunities in the third period with the score 4-2 at the time.

However, the Penguins were unable to capitalize on their chances. Eventually, the Avalanche made it 5-2 on the Lehkonen goal. Rantanen iced the win with an empty-netter to cap off the hat trick.

The Pens' stars were a no-show against the Avalanche. Sidney Crosby ended the night with two shots on goal while Evgeni Malkin registered an assist, as did Erik Karlsson. Rickard Rakell had four shots on goal with nothing to show for them.

#2. Avalanche lit up Tristan Jarry

Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry strung together a streak of strong starts prior to Tuesday night. However, the Avalanche did not forgive Jarry, lighting him up for six goals on 26 shots.

Jarry struggled all night as the Avalanche took advantage of his apparent weaknesses. A good example came on Mackinnon’s first-period goal. After a bouncing puck landed on Mackinnon’s stick, Mackinnon led a 2-on-1 rush chance up ice.

As Mackinnon got to the top of the faceoff circle, he faked a pass for a split second. The move fooled Jarry as Mackinnon unloaded a rocket, beating Jarry on the far side.

While the rush chance was on the Penguins’ defense, the defenders were right in taking the pass away, forcing Mackinnon to shoot. However, Jarry took the bait and Mackinnon got his 10th of the year.

#1. Penguins’ comeback fell short

The Penguins entered the third period down a goal. While they pushed to tie the game, their comeback eventually fell short.

They did a great job of pulling to within one after falling behind 3-0 in the first. Unfortunately, the Penguins could not close the gap. The Avalanche were too much to handle in the third, pulling away for good.

The Penguins will get a day off the regroup before taking on the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday night.