Sidney Crosby receives high praise from Nathan MacKinnon - "Showed why he's still the best"

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had high praise for Pittsburgh Penguins rival Sidney Crosby after the two squared off on Sunday.

MacKinnon acknowledged Crosby's standout performance, saying:

"I thought (Sidney Crosby) showed why he's still the best. He dominated us tonight, especially our line. We had a better third for sure, but (it took) the full team effort".

Crosby scored a goal and provided three assists, but could not stop his team from falling to its third consecutive loss and fourth in five games.

MacKinnon extended his point streak to 18 games and home point streak to 34, guiding the Avalanche to a 5-4 overtime triumph at the Ball Arena. With 122 points, he surpassed Joe Sakic's Avalanche record set in 1995-96.

MacKinnon's season-opening home streak of 76 points is the second-longest in NHL history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky's 40-game streak in 1988-89 with the Los Angeles Kings.

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Sidney Crosby's Penguins stumble as Avalanche stage epic comeback

The Penguins seized an early lead with Jesse Puljujarvi opening the scoring at 7:53 of the opening period, capitalizing on a loose puck in the crease. The momentum continued for Pittsburgh as Bryan Rust extended the lead at 15:11, displaying impressive puck-handling skills to beat the goaltender.

The Penguins' dominance continued into the second period, with Sidney Crosby adding to the tally at 13:47, redirecting a pass from Valtteri Puustinen into the net. Pierre-Olivier Joseph made it 4-0 just 25 seconds before the Avalanche mounted a fierce comeback.

It was initiated by Sean Walker, who fired a wrist shot from above the right circle. Yakov Trenin narrowed the gap at 19:30 of the second period, deflecting Brandon Duhaime's shot. Jonathan Drouin scored at 3:32 of the third period with a one-timer off a precise cross-ice pass from Nathan MacKinnon to make it 4-3.

The Avalanche's determination paid off as MacKinnon leveled the game at 4-4 at 15:22 of the third period, converting a one-timer from the left face-off dot, with an assist from Drouin.

The stage was set for overtime, where Drouin sealed victory 54 seconds in.