DENVER — One of the best rivalries in modern sports may be dead. The Colorado Avalanche were victorious against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night in Denver. With the  5–2 victory, The Avalanche have now won every game against the Red Wings since the Coors Field Stadium Series game in February 2016. The Red Wings did not seem as much of a rival as they should have been on Tuesday, but they have been fighting to even be a Wild Card contender.

A familiar face got the scoring started, but the Avs struck back with a deadly force. Colorado looked hungrier than the Red Wings and it showed in how they attacked into the zones.

First Period

The rivalry did not start how the Avalanche wanted it to. Sam Malinski incurred an early tripping penalty on Alex DeBrincat that sent Colorado to the penalty kill. Detroit has the third best power play in the league, so this was no simple task for the Avs. The Wings controlled the puck, the entire power play, sending the puck around the perimeter. The puck would work all the way around the zone and eventually down low for a shot for J.T. Compher to tap it in.

It did not take long for the Avs to strike back. Just 44 seconds later, Devon Toews and Cale Makar hooked up. Toews and Makar played some pass at the blue line and then Makar snapped a shot from the left point. Valeri Nichushkin was driving towards the net with Moritz Seider on his tail. Makar’s shot hit Seider and bounced down and past Alex Lyon to tie the game at one goal each.

Roughly six minutes later, the Avs would strike again. Nathan MacKinnon picked up the loose puck in the corner and ran behind the net. He passed it over to Jonathan Drouin, who was crashing into the crease. Drouin tried to finish the job, but Lyon was on top of the play. The rebound bounced over to the left and Nichushkin whipped it into the corner of the net. The period would end with an Avalanche 2–1 lead.

Second Period

The Avs came right out of the gate for the second period and got things going. Three minutes into the period, Craig Smith high-sticked Makar and the dangerous Avalanche went on the power play. The first unit did not hesitate with their first opportunity of the game. MacKinnon and Makar snapped shots towards the net, but bodies were in the way. The second unit came out with their guns blazing. From the left circle, Martin Necas set Toews up for a one timer shot from the blue line. The puck saw its way through traffic and the Avalanche took a 3–1 lead.

Third Period

Colorado wanted to put the game in the bag, but the Wings would not seem to go away. Detroit was laying some thick pressure on the Avs in their zone, but they could not produce the shots. Halfway through the period, MacKinnon still had not gotten one shot on goal. MacKinnon ran his way down the ice and burned through the defense, drawing a slashing call. As MacKinnon set up for the one-timer during the power play, his stick broke in two. He grabbed a new stick and stood in the left circle waiting for the pass to finish for his only shot and made it a goal.

The Wings still did not want to give despite being down 4–1. With under four minutes left in the period, they made a final push. Detroit pushed the play down low into the Avalanche zone and eventually Austin Watson pushed in his second goal of the season. Detroit pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with just under three minutes left. Logan O’Connor would beat one of the Detroit players to the puck and nail the empty net to wrap the game up for the 5–2 victory.

Observations from the Mountaintop

Colorado is now on the longest home winning streak this season in the NHL, currently at ten games. They may have been the team with the rest, but it did not appear that way. Detroit could rolled all four lines in their victory on Monday, so Colorado may have underestimated them. The Wings were clogging up the neutral zone and making it difficult for the Avalanche to enter their zone. Once the Avalanche entered the zone, they had no issues. They did a great job shutting down MacKinnon, limiting him to one shot on goal, and that came in the third period.

The Avalanche has shown how dangerous they really can be. The ability to roll more than their top line has been beneficial. MacKinnon and Makar are staying rested throughout the game. They are playing more explosive hockey and seeing the ice more clearly. Players like Malinski have made it easier for coach Jared Bednar to not worry about the backend. Malinski has really stepped up his game as of late. The Avalanche are truly a team that other teams have to worry about in the playoffs.

Next Game

The Avalanche will stay at home to take on the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, March 27. The game will begin at 8 p.m. MT and broadcast on ESPN.