The Pittsburgh Penguins had Sidney Crosby moving up yet another spot on the NHL’s career assist list, but the night also belonged to a different milestone on the other side. Colorado Avalanche rookie T.J. Hughes finally got his first NHL goal, giving his own career a moment to remember in the same game.
Hughes scored at 14:57 of the second period for his first NHL goal in his eighth game. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar set it up, and the goal pushed Colorado ahead by two at the time.
For Hughes, it had been a quiet start before Friday night against Pittsburgh. He came into the game with one point, an assist, and two penalty minutes in his early-season NHL numbers.
The path to this moment has been a winding one. Hughes signed a one-year, entry-level deal with the Avalanche in April after going undrafted following his college career at the University of Michigan. He arrived in Colorado after a very different kind of leap than Crosby’s place in the game’s history, and the two now share the same milestone game.
Hughes, who is 24, produced his best college season as a senior. In 40 games at Michigan, he posted 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points, all career highs in a single NCAA season.
After signing with Colorado, he was sent to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, on a professional tryout basis for the rest of the 2025-26 AHL season. In two games there, he logged two points with a goal and an assist.
Now comes the next step: turning that first NHL goal into something bigger.
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Penguins Still Searching For Answers As Dan Muse Shakes Up Everything
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Muses lineup decisions are part of that broader reset, but the bigger concern remains whether the Penguins can find cleaner execution when the puck drops just after 9 p.m. ET. Special teams have been a particular source of frustration, and against a Colorado club that can punish mistakes quickly, Pittsburgh needs more than a fresh look on the board. It needs a response on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Let Another Promising Start Slip Away In Colorado
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Colorado turned the game completely around from there, riding a burst of offense that Pittsburgh could not answer as the Avalanche pulled away to a 5-2 win. The Penguins did get one encouraging individual sequence from Silovs, who stopped Nathan MacKinnon on a penalty shot, but the night still ended with the power play failing to cash in and another promising opening slipping out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Suddenly Have A Nicholas Robertson Decision To Make
Nicholas Robertson has already forced the Penguins to pay closer attention than they may have expected when they brought in a 25-year-old forward looking for an opportunity. Through seven games this season, he has given Pittsburgh real offensive value despite limited ice time, lower-line usage and a steady diet of defensive-zone starts. Even with those constraints, he has found ways to tilt shifts toward the Penguins and contribute to the scoring-chance battle.
Now the question is how much more responsibility the staff is willing to hand him. Pittsburgh recently bumped Robertson into a bigger role, and that kind of move usually says as much about trust as it does about production. For a team that is always looking for useful depth scoring, his next stretch could say plenty about whether this is just a hot start or the beginning of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]