Avs complete surprising season sweep of Penguins

For the second time in a week, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, thereby sweeping their season series with the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

The first win came Dec. 12 in Pittsburgh, where the Avalanche won 2-1 on the strength of a 39-save performance from Jonathan Bernier. On Monday, Semyon Varlamov was in net, and he stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 4-2 decision, with the Avalanche's goals coming from Tyson Barrie (two), J.T. Compher (the game-winner), and Mikko Rantanen.

Colorado was by far the worst team in the NHL last season, finishing with a 22-56-4 record for a total of 48 points - the fewest earned by any team in the shootout era. The Penguins hoisted their second Cup in a row while the Avs were two months into their offseason.

In 2017-18, however, these two clubs aren't so far apart in the standings. Monday's win improved Colorado's record to 16-15-2 (34 points), and the Penguins dropped to 17-15-3 (37 points).