Getting dug into a three goal deficit on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings was too much for the Colorado Avalanche, as the Red Wings pulled away with a 5-2 victory. The Avalanche trailed 3-0 early in the second period and managed to cut the lead to two goals on two separate occasions, but were unable to get any closer.
Already down 3-1 after two periods, the Red Wings piled on another goal by Daniel Cleary to push the lead to 4-1. Colorado quickly responded with a goal by Milan Hejduk on the power play just a couple minutes later, but they were unable to score again and Johan Franzen scored a garbage time goal after Colorado pulled its goalie to conclude the game's scoring at 5-2.
It's a disappointing loss for the Avalanche, who continue their struggles after a strong start to the season. The Avalanche won five of their first six games but have gone just 2-6-1 since then, including losses in each of their last four games. The team's now at .500 on the season, 7-7-1 overall, tying them with the Vancouver Canucks in the Northwest Division.
As for Detroit, it's a pretty important victory, as the team wins for a second time in a row coming off a brutal losing streak. The win actually pushes them up to 7-5-1 on the year, firmly in contention with the likes of Chicago and Nashville in the Central division.
For more updates on tonight's game, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey or our Red Wings blog Winging It In Motown. For more news and notes from around the league, head over to SB Nation's hockey news hub.