Avalanche remember they’re a juggernaut, pound the Red Wings

The Colorado Avalanche have had a frustrating road trip.

That’s now a thing of the past.

The Avs pounded their old rival, the Detroit Red Wings, 5-0 on Saturday afternoon. The beatdown came in front of a national audience on ABC.

It was a good bounce-back effort from Colorado who was embarrassed 7-3 by Montreal on Thursday and 5-2 by Ottawa on Wednesday. Shockingly, the Avalanche were just 2-4-2 over their last eight games. It was the first and only slump of an awesome season, so hopefully they’re finally breaking out of it.

Superstar Nathan MacKinnon had two goals for Colorado and nearly missed a hat-trick late in the second period. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was excellent, making 27 saves and earning the shutout. Other goal-scorers for the Avs were Brent Burns, Ross Colton and Parker Kelly.

MacKinnon was also the first player in the league to reach 40 goals this year. It’s the first time ever a player from Colorado or Quebec did that.

MacKinnon open back door? You know what happens next. pic.twitter.com/oZb7bqCMyP

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 31, 2026

The Avalanche are now 36-8-9 on the year and the first team to reach 80-plus points in the NHL. Detroit will be at Ball Arena on Monday, followed by the Sharks on Wednesday.

After that it’s a three-week Olympic break, where many of Colorado’s top players will go pursue a gold medal.

Regardless, the Avs remembered on Saturday they’re a juggernaut. Success in Italy would be sweet for some individual players, but this team reminded the league why they’re Stanley Cup favorites.

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