Red Wings at Avalanche
After having their point and winning streaks halted by the league's best club, the Colorado Avalanche look to rebound against one of its worst when they host the bedraggled Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon. Colorado is holding the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference by a razor-thin margin with 11 games to go in the regular season.
The Avalanche had won three in a row and earned points in nine straight games (6-0-3) before dropping a 4-2 home decision to NHL-best Nashville on Friday. It marked only the second regulation defeat in 17 home games (14-2-1) for Colorado, which is tied on points with Dallas and Anaheim but has a game in hand on both teams. “They’re all going to be big now,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told reporters. “It’s the best time of year, other than the playoffs. It’s exciting. We’re coming to the rink real excited every day and just itching to play." The same doesn't hold true for the Red Wings, who are staggering to the finish line and enter Sunday's matchup with a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1) - the franchise's longest skid since February 1986.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (26-34-11): Detroit has been pierced for at least four goals in seven of eight games this month and has produced more than three only once in 17 contests. Gustav Nyquist has scored in three straight games to move within one of reaching 20 goals for the second time in his career. "His competitive level has been unreal. It's been the best of the three years I've been here, maybe the best since I've coached him," coach Jeff Blashill told reporters. "The fact he's on a roll here doesn't surprise me."
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (38-25-8): Nathan MacKinnon continued to sizzle by extending his point streak to 11 games - two shy of his career best - with his 36th goal of the season versus Nashville, the most by a Colorado player since Joe Sakic (36) in 2006-07. He's not the only member of the team with an impressive streak, however. Tyson Barrie recorded an assist on the goal by MacKinnon to give him points in nine consecutive games, matching the longest run by a defenseman since the franchise relocated to Colorado in 1995-96.
OVERTIME
1. Avalanche RW Mikko Rantanen on Friday notched his 50th assist of the season and 19th point in his last 10 games.
2. Detroit also has lost eight in a row on the road.
3. Colorado is 13-for-13 on the penalty kill over its last four games.