Good & Bad: Avalanche Defeat Red Wings With Ease — Extend Home Winning Streak

DENVER — Beating the Detroit Red Wings has always been a delight for Avalanche fans in attendance at Ball Arena. And over the past five years, their visits to Denver have often been one-sided.

Colorado gave up the first goal but quickly made a comeback on Tuesday, eventually defeating its old rival 5-2 to extend its home winning streak to 10 games. It’s just the third time in team history that the Avs have had such a streak.

It’s also the first time since 2019 that Colorado didn’t score either six or seven goals against Detroit at Ball Arena. That’s how dominant these games have been in recent memory.

Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews, and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche, who pulled back within three points of Dallas for second in the Central Division, although the Stars still have two games in hand. Logan O’Connor eventually added an empty-netter.

It wasn’t much of an exciting game, but it was all Jared Bednar’s club needed to get two points.

“Considering the circumstances, you go on a road trip like that, you come home, have a day off, and then you’re back at it,” Bednar said. “We just didn’t have the energy that I’d like to see out of our group.”

Detroit got ahead early. After Sam Malinski was called for tripping, the Red Wings’ PP got to work. They cycled the puck well and eventually scored with 20 seconds remaining on the penalty. J.T. Compher got his eighth of the season, scoring at Ball Arena for the first time in two years.

But the lead lasted only 44 seconds.

Holding the puck at the top of the offensive zone, Makar wristed it toward the net and was rewarded with a fortuitous bounce. The puck hit the backside of Wings defender Moritz Seider and beat goalie Alex Lyon to make it 1-1. Seider was battling for positioning in the slot with Nichushkin at the time of the deflection.

Just over six minutes later, MacKinnon skated the puck around the Wings’ goal and set up Jonathan Drouin in front. His shot was saved before Nichushkin squeaked the rebound past the goal line for his 19th of the season. That goal would’ve been enough to win the Avs the game.

But in the second, they drew their first penalty and capitalized on the man advantage. Toews got a pass from Martin Necas just above the circle and blasted a one-timer through traffic and past Lyon to double up the lead.

Neither team scored the rest of the period. But in the third, Colorado improved to 2-for-2 on the power play thanks to a tally from MacKinnon.

Blackwood let in a goal to Austin Watson late, finishing the night with 20 saves. The Avalanche outshot Detroit 28-22.

Good: Makar Inches Closer to 30

Makar is trying to become the first NHL defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since 2009. Back then, it was Washington’s Mike Green, who was known more for his offense than his 200-foot game.

Colorado’s top blueliner is arguably the best all-around defenseman in the league. He’s just one off his career high and looks like he’s on a mission to reach the 30-goal mark. Looking for his second Norris Trophy, you’ve got to imagine reaching the milestone will help. Makar has five goals and nine assists in his last 10 games, which began with a six-point performance against the San Jose Sharks.

It sure seems like he wants it.

Bad: Red Wings March Meltdown

This has become a common theme for the Detroit Red Wings. Over the past three years, they’ve been in or around a playoff spot at the start of the month and have fallen entirely out of favor by the end of it.

This season has been a pretty epic collapse, somehow overtaking what was already an embarrassing downfall in 2024. With the loss to the Avs, Detroit fell to 3-9-0 in March and would need to jump four teams to get back into a wildcard spot. Only the Philadelphia Flyers have fewer points than the Red Wings’ six in March.

For a team coming up on a decade since its last playoff appearance, having these meltdowns late in the year should eventually cost people their jobs. The head coach was replaced in December. Is it time to start questioning Steve Yzerman’s job security as general manager?