INSTANT REACTION: Avs cap off disappointing road trip with 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings

Welcome to the Pizza Palace (aka Little Caesars Arena)!

The try was there for this game today, and that’s all us watchers of puck can ask for from the best team in the league. Avs win 4-0 over the Detroit Red Wings to cap off their last road trip before the Olympic break.

Mackenzie Blackwood started in net after Scott Wedgewood dramatically dropped his start against Montreal.

Martin Necas was also a scratch in today’s matinee game. The Avs announced ahead of puck drop that Necas is out with a lower-body injury, thought to be suffered during the Montreal game on Thursday.

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Brent Burns gets the scoring started before the halfway mark of the first period, picking his spot on John Gibson and giving the Avs the early lead.

Nathan MacKinnon makes it 2-0 with a beautiful turn-and-shoot goal, finding a clear shooting lane with ease to cushion the lead heading into the first intermission.

Second period just saw the Avs continue to lay it on Detroit, earning a goal from Ross Colton just a minute and a half into the period, which makes a goal in two consecutive games for #20.

Nathan MacKinnon also tallied his second goal of the game. With this goal, he became the first player to reach 40 goals this season.

The third period was not as exciting, but Detroit did pull John Gibson in favor of playing Cam Talbot in net for the rest of the game.

Parker Kelly joined the scoring party to make it 5-0. This goal marks his third goal in five games, a heck of a stretch of games for the bottom-six forward, who is having a career year.

Mackenzie Blackwood earns his third shutout of the season to help the Avs blow past Detroit with a 5-0 final to head home with. They play the Red Wings again on Monday at Ball Arena, their second-to-last game before the Olympic break.

A few broken records for Nathan MacKinnon

With his second goal of the game, as mentioned, Nathan MacKinnon becomes the first player to reach 40 goals this season. The next closest player is Connor McDavid with 34.

With his second goal, he also passed Avs alum Michel Goulet on the even-strength goals leaderboard to become the Avs player with the 2nd most even-strength goals in franchise history.

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

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 31, 2026

Avs postgame pod