Other than a short pregame ceremony heralding what the franchise termed its “dominance era” – think late 1990s and early 2000s – as part of this season’s centennial celebration, there wasn’t much to like for the Detroit Red Wings.
Once their matinee on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Little Caesars Arena began, it was the archrival from those days, the Colorado Avalanche, that dominated, while the Wings underperformed on national television for the second time in four weeks. An uninspired outing left the Wings on the losing side of a 5-0 final, their largest goals-allowed total in more than a month.
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Red Wings playoff picture
The Wings (32-18-6) went winless in their three-game homestand that capped an otherwise successful January, staying in second place in the Atlantic Division at 70 points, with third-place squads Buffalo and Montreal (at 67 points apiece) facing off later Saturday in New York. Saturday’s game was the Wings’ last at home for more than a month, as they’ll head to Denver for a rematch with the Avs on Monday (9 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) and then close out the pre-Olympics schedule with a stop in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday. Their next home game: March 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) shoots the puck against Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp (18) during the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
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Gibson gets the third off
Goalie John Gibson was the Wings’ best player, especially during two penalty kills in the second. The change to Cam Talbot in net for the third period was a chance to give him some minutes in a game that clearly was out of reach. Parker Kelly scored swooped in and scored on a backhand near the midpoint as the damage continued to grow. Put that on the skaters, who looked out of sync, and a power play that continued to come up cold, with personnel changes making no difference.
The league-leading Avalanche came into the game having lost four of their last five games and were without top forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Martin Necas (both injuries), but it hardly showed.
One for the aged, with Patrick Kane and Brent Burns
Patrick Kane, fresh off setting the record for leading U.S.-born scorer in NHL history on Thursday night, tried for point No. 1,376 with a shot from the right side about five minutes in, but was denied by Avs goalie MacKenzie Blackwood. Instead it was the oldest player in the league, Brent Burns, who turns 41 in March, who was first to find the back of the net. Burns had the puck on the right side and, easily brushing aside Albert Johansson’s attempt at defending, beat Gibson gloveside.
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Nathan MacKinnon, the 2024 MVP, assisted on that goal, and added one of his own a few minutes later when he maneuvered the puck across the high slot and towards the blue line before ripping a shot from the point through traffic.
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save against against Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
Buried in the Avalanche
The challenge grew harder for the Wings soon after the second period began. Brock Nelson outbattled Alex DeBrincat for possession retrieval behind Detroit’s net. Josh Manson rimmed the puck back in from the left side, and Nelson took it to the side of the net before finding Russ Colton on the doorstep for a 3-0 lead, at 1:24.
MacKinnon added to his his production with a second goal late in the second period. Jacob Bernard-Docker was in front of his own net when an attempt to pass the puck to Dylan Larkin was intercepted by Artturi Lehkonen, who wired a pass that MacKinnon one-timed from the left side to put the Wings down by four goals.
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Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings blanked by Colorado Avalanche, 5-0, at LCA