The Pittsburgh Penguins have discovered one of the side effects of making the Stanley Cup Final last spring: Everybody wants to beat you.

And for the last few weeks, nearly everyone has.

The Penguins lost for the seventh time in eight games by dropping a 5-3 decision to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. David Jones scored twice as the Avs beat the Pens for the sixth consecutive time at the Pepsi Center. Pittsburgh hasn’t won in Denver since Feb. 25, 1999.

The slump has dropped the Penguins down to 10th place in the East, three points out of the last playoff spot at the halfway mark.

"It is tough. We've got to hang in there and keep our heads up and make sure we're working hard," Pittsburgh coach Michael Therrien said. "Eventually, if we get the right approach, we'll get out of this."

They'd better do it soon. The Penguins have dropped to 20-19-4 by losing 13 of their last 18 games after a 15-6-4 start. They've won just once since beating New Jersey on Dec. 26.

Captain Sidney Crosby said teams are gunning for the Penguins after their success last spring.

"You have to be prepared, especially after the season we had last year, for teams to get up for those games," he said. "It's no secret when we play teams it brings out the best in them."

The Penguins certainly brought out the best in the Avalanche, which won its third in a row despite goals by Pittsburgh stars Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"They're two players that we don't see a whole lot of," Avalanche coach Tony Granato said. "To see them live, they are as good as their reputation. They are exciting, no question about it."

Wojtek Wolski, Colorado's hottest scorer, broke a 2-2 tie at 10:33 of the middle period when he skated into the Pittsburgh zone, took a pass from Ryan Smyth and beat goalie Dany Sabourin over the left shoulder for his 11th goal of the season and fourth in three games. Cody McLeod's goal at 14:39 gave Colorado a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.

"The whole team has been pitching in," Wolski said. "David Jones had three points tonight, two goals, just going hard to the net and getting his stick on the ice."

Pittsburgh didn't go quietly. Jordan Staal scored a shorthanded goal 7:37 into the third period, but Jones got his second of the game 51 seconds later with Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke still in the box.

Malkin and Crosby teamed for Pittsburgh's first two goals, tying the game each time. After Ryan Smyth scored 10:44 into the game, Malkin got his first goal in 11 games by one-timing a perfect cross-ice feed from Crosby past Andrew Raycroft. Jones put Colorado ahead again 2:06 into the second, but Crosby fired Malkin's pass through Raycroft's legs at 8:44 to make it 2-2.

It still wasn't enough for the Penguins to snap out of their slump.

"It's been a different thing each time. We've got to put it together," Crosby said. "Sometimes our special teams has hurt us, sometimes even strength we haven't been sharp."

The slump has let to speculation that Therrien could be on thin ice, but Staal said coaching hasn't been the team's problem.

"Guys want to play for him," he said. "It's just a matter of winning games."

Material from wire services and team online and broadcast media was used in this report.