Detroit City Wire

Roughly 24 hours after their first victory in Salt Lake City, the Detroit Red Wings aim to maintain their momentum as they face the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Tuesday night. The game marks the season series finale between Detroit (33-31-6; 72 points) and Colorado (43-25-3; 89 points), with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the action on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.

In their last meeting, the Red Wings suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at Little Caesars Arena on December 7. Reflecting on Monday's 5-1 win over Utah Hockey Club, goalie Alex Lyon emphasized the importance of maintaining urgency and fearlessness in every game. "You got to play with a chip on your shoulder all the time," he said.

Lyon stepped up in Utah, making 16 saves after Petr Mrazek left due to an undisclosed injury early in the first period. "Alex did a real good job coming into a difficult situation," head coach Todd McLellan remarked.

Detroit seeks to end their road trip with four out of eight possible points and currently trails Montreal by three points for an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Austin Watson, who scored his first goal with Detroit on Monday, expressed hope that their recent win could spark further success.

McLellan plans for Cam Talbot to start against Colorado, which ranks third in the Western Conference’s Central Division and boasts an impressive recent record of 8-1-1 in its last ten games. The Avalanche recently secured a shootout victory over Montreal.

Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 105 points and is vying for his second Hart Memorial Trophy as MVP. Key contributions also come from Cale Makar and trade deadline acquisitions Martin Necas and Brock Nelson.

Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood has been solid for Colorado this season, holding a record of 25-17-6 with three shutouts.

"We’re not going to spend a lot of time looking at video [from Monday’s game]," McLellan stated, emphasizing readiness for Tuesday's challenge against a tough opponent.