Red Wings vs. Avalanche Projected Lines, Injuries and How to Watch

The Detroit Red Wings have lost three out of the last four and are now on a tough road trip starting Saturday evening against the Colorado Avalanche.

Detroit Red Wings vs Avalanche Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trying to break a losing streak is hard and it gets even harder when you are attempting to do it on the road. The Detroit Red Wings are starting a five-day road trip on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.

This will not be easy. Both teams are looking to break a two-game losing streak. Detroit comes in with a 7-7-3 record after losing to Tampa Bay and Vegas. Colorado sits at 9-6-2 after dropping its last two games as well.

The Red Wings have to get their offense rolling again, while the Avalanche have been struggling on defense. One positive note for Detroit is that their rookies have combined for 23 points in 17 games which leads the NHL in rookie scoring.

Red Wings vs. Avalanche Game Information

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Puck drop: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
TV/Streaming: Detroit SportsNet (DSN), Altitude, Altitude+
Radio: 97.1 FM (Detroit)

Detroit Red Wings Projected Lineup

Forwards

Alex DeBrincat — Emmitt Finnie — Viktor Arvidsson
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard — Andrew Copp — Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen — J.T. Compher — John Leonard
Carter Mazur — Sheldon Dries — Keegan Kolesar

Defensemen

Ben Chiarot — Moritz Seider
William Wallinder — Justin Faulk
Andreas Englund — Anton Johansson

Goaltenders

Daniil Tarasov — Projected starter
Michal Postava — Backup

Line combinations and starting goaltender are subject to change.

Red Wings Injury Report

Detroit Red Wings center Marco Kasper Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• John Gibson — lower body injury; returned to practice Friday, but his return is still uncertain.
• Marco Kasper — upper-body injury. Could return during Detroit’s upcoming road trip.
• Mason Appleton — injury designation remains unspecified. Could return during Detroit’s upcoming road trip.
• Albert Johansson — undisclosed injury. Has been sidelined since October 24.
• Dylan Larkin — suspended without pay amid ongoing trade situation and refusal to play.

Red Wings vs. Avalanche Pregame Preview

The goaltending situation in Detroit has been uncertain several times this season so far, but Daniil Tarasov has continued to put up outstanding performances.

When asked again on Thursday evening against the Golden Knights, Tarasov stopped 32 of 34 shots. He did his part; the offense for the Red Wings did not.

Anton Johansson was the only player able to find the net and that didn’t happen until the third period.

Tarasov has been absolutely dependable for this team through the early season. He has posted a 1.79 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.

Viktor Arvidsson is leading Detroit with eight goals.

Colorado will present a difficult challenge for a team trying to discover its offense. The Avs lead the NHL with 53 five-on-five goals through 17 games. This will make Tarasov’s performance on Saturday very important.

Helping Detroit will be the fact that Colorado has been struggling on defense. The Red Wings will need to find ways to take advantage of that while also generating a lot of defensive pressure.

Saturday’s game will remind fans of the once heated rivaly between these two organizations, but that certainly won’t define this matchup. Each of these teams is just trying to find a way to break their losing streak, and, luckily for them, one team will walk away with a victory.