Many have wondered how the Colorado Avalanche will handle adversity after such a long run of unmatched success early this season.
Adversity played out throughout January, but the Avalanche have another chance to end the month on a positive note, but they will have to do so against their longtime (and much better) rival, the Detroit Red Wings.
Colorado Avalanche (35-8-9)
rival: Detroit Red Wings (32-17-6)
Time:11:00 AM MST/1:00 PM EST
Watch: ABC/ESPN (US national broadcast), SN+/SNE/SNO/SNP (Canadian national broadcast)
Hear: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Today’s game is the final game of a four-game road trip, and the first game of a home-and-home series with Detroit, who will then fly to Denver to conclude the season series against the Avalanche at Ball Arena on Monday night. The Avalanche are coming off consecutive losses to the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens on consecutive nights, losing both games by a combined score of 12–5. The Avs looked limp and lifeless when Ottawa scored five goals on McKenzie Blackwood on Wednesday night, and Scott Wedgwood had an even worse performance as Montreal put seven goals behind him on Thursday – including two from behind the goal line.
Despite feeling that his team gave a more competitive effort against Montreal than it showed in Ottawa, head coach Jared Bednar noted the struggles his team is having at both ends of the ice. “We’re having trouble putting the puck in the net; we’re still having trouble keeping it out of our net (…) It’s tough sledding for us right now, but we’ve got to be a little better in some areas again than we were tonight.”
Brock Nelson has continued to shine for the Avs in the goal scoring department, scoring four goals in his last three games. His 28 goals are second only to league leader Nathan MacKinnon (38), and his 47 points are good for fourth on the team. However, MacKinnon has not scored a goal since January 19 against Washington. The goal-scoring drought is not limited to McKinnon; Martin Necas has not scored a goal since Jan. 12 against Toronto.
When asked about the lack of production from both MacKinnon and Martin Necas, Bednar said, “It’s not that they’re not doing some good things, because they have. They’re creating some chances; they’re not scoring on them as they normally do, right? Part of it is, you’re going to finish off some chances, so I think they fall into that category.”
Currently, the Avs have a record of 5-6-2 for the month of January. Without a win today, the Avs will finish with a sub-.500 record for a given calendar month since going 5-6-0 in October 2024. Despite their struggles this month, they still remain the undisputed leaders in the Central Division, Western Conference and league standings. They have three games left on their schedule before the Olympic break, so they are in no danger of losing much of their lead third The Minnesota Wild or Dallas Stars finished second before moving to Italy.
The Avs have won three of their last four regular season games against Detroit, including the most recent matchup by a 5–2 decision on March 25, 2025.
Ahead:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Neckas
Victor Olofsson – Brock Nelson – Valery Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Zakhar Burdakov – Parker Kelly – Joel Kiviranta
protect:
Sam Malinsky – Black Capricorn
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Keaton Middleton – Sam Girard
Between pipes:
mackenzie blackwood
Scott Wedgwood
Detroit currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Division standings, just two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning. Given the loaded standings in the Eastern Conference, a playoff berth is not guaranteed at this point in the season, but the chances of seeing Detroit’s first playoff berth in nine seasons are looking high. Since the franchise is currently celebrating its centennial, a return to the postseason to commemorate the occasion would be a notable accomplishment.
Detroit has gotten the better of Colorado throughout the month of January and has gone 6-2-2 in their last ten games. However, Detroit has lost two of its current three-game home stand at Little Caesars Arena, losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday evening, and losing a 4-3 shootout to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Despite the loss, right wing Patrick Kane recorded 1,375 career points and became the all-time leading American-born scorer in the NHL, surpassing former Red Wing Mike Modano.
Alex DeBrincat currently leads Detroit in goals (30), and is one point behind Lucas Raymond for the team lead in total points (58). Raymond also leads the team in assists (40). Team captain Dylan Larkin is second to DeBrincat in goals (25) and third in points (48).
Goaltender John Gibson, who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks during the offseason, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in his first full season with Detroit. He currently has 21 wins on the season, his most since the 2018-2019 season (26), and setting a new career high in wins (Gibson won 31 games during the 2017-2018 season) is not out of the question, but if Detroit has set its sights on the postseason, the best of Gibson’s career will have to come this spring.
Detroit’s last win over Colorado came on February 22, 2024, a 2–1 win on an overtime goal from Kane.
Ahead:
Marco Casper – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat – Andrew Copp – Patrick Kane
Emmitt Finney – JT Comper – James Van Riemsdyk
Elmer Söderblom – Michael Rasmussen – Mason Appleton
protect:
Jacob Bernard-Docker – Moritz Seider
Axel Sandin-Pellica – Ben Chiarot
Albert Johansson – Travis Hamonic
Between pipes:
john gibson
cam talbot
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