The Detroit Red Wings dropped their third straight game, losing a 5-0 final to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon.
The Detroit Red Wings discussed the importance of coming out strong against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche, who have been the NHL's best team thus far this season.
Instead, the Avalanche broke out of what was a mini-funk that included setbacks against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens by taking it to the Red Wings on the scoreboard.
The Avalanche defeated the Red Wings 5-0, scoring twice in each of the first two periods before adding another in the final frame. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all 28 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season.
The Red Wings have now dropped three straight games after having picked up five of six points during their recent three-game road swing.
Detroit had a chance to take an early 1-0 lead when leading goal-scorer Alex DeBrincat broke in on a two-on-one opportunity, but sailed a shot over the net.
Just minutes later, Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, who is the oldest player in the NHL, rushed down the right wing and roofed a shot past the glove of John Gibson, breaking the ice.
Colorado soon increased their lead at the midway point of the frame after superstar forward Nathan MacKinnon beat Gibson on a screened shot from the slot.
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Not long after the second period began, a missed defensive assignment left Ross Colton all alone in front of Gibson, and he scored a slam-dunk–style goal off a feed from behind the net by Brock Nelson, extending Colorado’s lead to 3–0.
MacKinnon scored again later in the period following a turnover in front of Gibson. Left alone at the side of the net, he took a feed from Artturi Lehkonen and had a wide-open goal to fire at, and he made no mistake.
After making 13 saves, Gibson was replaced for the third period by Cam Talbot, who allowed Parker Kelly to bang home his own rebound for Colorado’s fifth goal.
As time ticked away in regulation, only a few thousand fans hadn't already gotten a head start on the traffic after watching a downer of a contest, and they let their frustrations be known with some noticeable booing.
The Red Wings and Avalanche will face each another again on Monday evening, this time at Ball Arena in Denver.
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