Detroit @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2018 ) Colorado 2, Detroit 0

The Colorado Avalanche cannot afford to let more opportunities slip away in their pursuit to participate in the postseason as they host the struggling Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Colorado sits three points behind Dallas and Minnesota, who own the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference, after a 2-1 loss Sunday at Anaheim - their third in four games (1-2-1) - and plays another team that is already looking ahead to 2019-20.

"I don't know what we're waiting for,'' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters. "We should be the desperate hockey team right now. We're the ones that are trying to fight to get into the playoffs, we're sitting there right in the bubble and you got to come out like you mean it. We didn't (Sunday) and we didn't on Friday (a 4-3 loss at San Jose)." Colorado, which is an eye-popping 1-11 in overtime this season, plays 10 of its final 16 games at home but has lost 18 of 31 in Denver (13-12-6). Detroit has dropped seven straight games (0-5-2) after Saturday's 3-1 setback at Arizona, matching its longest slide of the season that occurred in its first seven contests (0-5-2). "I'd say it's a step forward, but it's another loss,'' Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader told reporters. "We've got to make sure we come out and our details on our game are great. With each individual guy, we've got to make sure we're giving it our all and working through it, because the only way we're going to get out of this is working through it."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, Altitude (Colorado)

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (23-33-9): Dylan Larkin boasts three goals and four assists in his last five games - adding to his team-high totals of 27 goals and 62 points - but is a minus-5 in his last two contests (minus-10 for the season). Andreas Athanasiou (22 goals, 39 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in four straight games and in six of his last eight while scoring twice in each of the other two contests. Anthony Mantha (16 goals, 32 points) recorded an assist Saturday and has two goals and six assists during a five-game point streak.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (28-26-12): Mikko Rantanen had his three-game goal streak snapped Sunday, leaving him with 28 - third on the club behind Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog (33 apiece). Rantanen and MacKinnon each have 82 points to lead the team with MacKinnon recording only two in the last four contests. Derick Brassard scored Sunday for his second goal in four games since being acquired from Florida.

OVERTIME

1. Colorado D Ian Cole was issued a match penalty Sunday for kneeing Anaheim's Devin Shore but will not be suspended, according to BSN Denver.

2. Detroit LW Thomas Vanek (12 goals, 29 points) missed the last three games with a hip injury while D Trevor Daley hasn't played in the past two (upper body).

3. The Avalanche have won three straight meetings, including 2-0 on Dec. 2 behind 24 saves from Semyon Varlamov.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Red Wings 2