Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, Martin Necas had three assists, and T.J. Hughes scored his first NHL goal for the Avalanche (5-2-1), who have alternated wins and losses in their past seven games (4-2-1). Cale Makar had two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves.
Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins (3-4-1), who have lost five of their past six (1-4-1). Arturs Silovs made 27 saves.
Malkin made it 1-0 Pittsburgh at 8:28 of the first period when he put a wrist shot far side past the right foot of Blackwood. He cut through the right circle into the high slot and scored while falling to the ice.
Rust pushed it to 2-0 at 8:57, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Sidney Crosby. Crosby took the puck down the left side and sent Rust with a cross-ice pass to the right of the crease for the tap in.
Crosby's assist was the 1,110th of his career, passing Joe Thornton and moving into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history.
Lehkonen cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:01 of the period when he put home a centering pass from MacKinnon short side past the blocker from the left side of the crease. MacKinnon skated the puck in down the right side, cut outside and around Penguins defenseman Declan Carlile, and fed Lehkonen as he crashed the net.
Lehkonen tied it 2-2 just 25 seconds into the second period. He gloved down an airborne puck after it glanced off the right post, dropped it down in the blue paint, and backhanded it five-hole.
MacKinnon was awarded a penalty shot at 4:09 after Erik Karlsson hooked him while on a breakaway, but Silovs made the stop with his left pad.
Landeskog put the Avalanche ahead 3-2 at 4:24 when he swept in a pass from Brock Nelson past the glove of a sprawling Silovs. Nelson retrieved the rebound of Nazem Kadri’s initial shot in the slot and sent it to Landeskog at the right post.
Hughes extended the lead to 4-2 at 14:57, tapping in MacKinnon’s centering pass at the top of the crease shortly after a Colorado power play had ended.
MacKinnon scored a power-play goal for the 5-2 final at 15:06 of the third period. He one-timed Cale Makar’s feed top shelf over Silovs' blocker from the left dot.
