Pittsburgh Penguins hand the Colorado Avalanche their first loss of the season.

The odds were stacked against the Pittsburgh Penguins when they skated onto the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night. Their opponents, the Colorado Avalanche, were undefeated on the season at 6-0-0 and riding an NHL-record 15-game road winning streak dating back to March.

Meanwhile, the Penguins were nursing wounds from their third-straight loss two nights prior at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Shortly after the puck dropped, those odds shifted. The Penguins were on their game from the opening minute and put together their best performance of the young season.

Goal Recap

(PIT 1-0) Reilly Smith (3): Unassisted

(PIT 2-0) Reilly Smith (4): Evgeni Malkin (5) & Bryan Rust (1)

(PIT 3-0) Lars Eller (1): Radim Zohorna (1)

(PIT 4-0) Sidney Crosby (4): Jake Guentzel (7)

Three Stars

3. Reilly Smith

Smith continues to endear himself to the Penguins faithful, tallying two more goals in this game to bring his total to four on the season. Smith's instant chemistry with superstar center Evgeni Malkin is harkening back to the days of Malkin and James Neal in 2011-12.

Neal finished that season with 40 goals. Meanwhile, Malkin collected a career-high 109 points and took home both the Art-Ross and Hart Trophies that Spring. We're far from any awards being handed out, but the chemistry between Malkin and Smith has the makings of something special.

2. Tristan Jarry

This game may have been Jarry's best performance of his career to date. He stopped all 30 shots he faced en route to his second shutout of the season.

Not having played since Saturday in St. Louis, Jarry came in fresh but wasn't challenged early. He only faced five shots in the first period as the Penguins controlled puck possession and built a two-goal lead. Jarry stayed sharp despite the inactivity and, according to MoneyPuck, picked up a season-high 2.38 goals saved above expected.

1. Penguins Penalty Kill

The PK has been an under-appreciated unit to this point of the season, coming into this game killing 14 of 17 penalties on the year. They heavily impacted this game, killing all five Avalanche power play opportunities while holding them to just four shots.

Their impressive performance was highlighted by killing off an Evgeni Malkin double minor with 3:35 left in the second period. The Penguins were up 3-0, but a goal late in the second would've shifted the momentum to the Avalanche heading into the break. Instead, the Penguins slammed the door shut, selling out to block shots and keeping Jarry clean as he continued his impressive performance.

Final Thoughts

Lars Eller stood out in this game. The veteran center was playing his former team for the first time and exacted a bit of revenge. Eller was stellar on the penalty kill, winning faceoffs and leading the charge with 5:24 of shorthanded ice time.

Eller's impact wasn't limited to the PK, as he and the third line put together another impressive evening, including Eller's first goal as a member of the Penguins.

The Penguins will look to build off this victory as they welcome the Ottawa Senators to town Saturday night.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDLv_zl4uNk[/embed]

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