Martin Necas scored twice and added two assists, Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 in Denver on Saturday.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar had a goal and two assists each for Colorado, which got the win in coach Jared Bednar’s 800th game behind the bench.
Daniil Tarasov turned away 25 shots for Detroit, which started its four-game road trip with a loss. The Red Wings have dropped three in a row and four of their past five games.
Detroit handed the Avalanche their only shutout loss last season — including the playoffs — and came out strong from the opening faceoff. The Red Wings held a 13-1 shot advantage late in the first period and tested Blackwood with some quality scoring chances. Blackwood stretched out to deny Emmitt Finnie early in the first when the Red Wings were swarming the goaltender.
Chances dried up for the Red Wings, who went more than 14 minutes between the first and second period without a shot. The Avalanche put the next 15 shots on net and finally got one by Tarasov midway through the second period.
T.J. Hughes took a power-play shot from close in that Tarasov stopped, but the rebound trickled to Necas on the right side of the crease, and he lifted the puck over the goaltender at 9:46.
Colorado went back on the power play minutes later and cashed in again when MacKinnon buried a one-timer off assists from Makar and Necas at 12:30.
The Red Wings picked it up in the third period, but the Avalanche cashed in again. Tarasov made a save on MacKinnon’s slapshot from the point, but the puck bounced into the air and Necas knocked it in for his second of the night at 7:15.
Makar finished the scoring with Colorado’s third power-play goal of the night at 9:45.
Tempers boiled over midway through the final period when Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider and Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog tangled in the corner and then dropped the gloves.