Eurolanche

Red Wings host Avs to continue homestand

Season series: The Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings split two games last season, with the visiting team winning each. Colorado won 2-1 in a shootout at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 21, 2014. Detroit's Petr Mrazek made 28 saves in a 3-0 victory at Pepsi Center on Feb. 5, 2015. The teams play again at Coors Field in Denver on Feb. 27 in the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.

Avalanche team scope: Colorado will try for its second win in as many nights after ending a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Jarome Iginla ended his nine-game goal drought by scoring two of Colorado's three power-play goals, and Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves. The Avalanche came to Ottawa after an 0-3-1 homestand following the All-Star break. "It is a weight off our shoulders breaking the bad slide," Iginla said. "Now we've got to build upon this."

Red Wings team scope: Defenseman Danny DeKeyser is expected to play after leaving Detroit's 3-1 win against Ottawa on Wednesday in the third period. DeKeyser sustained a bruised leg when he blocked a shot, general manager Ken Holland said Thursday. Detroit, which is 3-0-0 on a five-game homestand, is already missing two defensemen: Niklas Kronwall (knee surgery) can come off injured reserve on Saturday but has yet to practice, and Mike Green (groin) skated Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day. The Red Wings, who did not practice Thursday, sent forward Joakim Andersson to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Thursday. He's been a healthy scratch in each of the past three games after Detroit called up Andreas Athanasiou. "We're day-to-day on lots of decisions, and that's one of them," Holland told the Detroit Free Press when asked if Athanasiou will stay with the Red Wings.

-- by John Kreiser for NHL.com --