DENVER – The 2016 Stadium Series game at Coors Field began with a nice omen for the sizable road crowd. The Red Wings fans who were able to make the trip to Denver were treated to an early goal from Tomas Tatar after a rebound given up by Semyon Varlamov. The Detroit faithful were unable to sustain the celebration as Colorado scored moments later, with Nathan MacKinnon beating Petr Mrazek to give the momentum to the home team. The Avs were able to kill off a couple of penalties in the first, and took the lead on Tyson Barrie’s 11th goal of the season. The period came to a surprising end, with Pavel Datsyuk and Gabriel Landeskog both sent to the penalty box following a tie up on the Detroit side of the ice.
While the rivalry between the two clubs does not currently hold the same animosity as it did 20 years ago, the action on the ice was more intense than the usual regular season matchup. The crowd played their part to get the teams going, with opposing chants echoing through the stadium early and often. The pace of play slowed a bit in the second period, with neither side managing to solve the opposing goaltender. Penalties also served to slow the game down, with Detroit being called for a bench minor for too many men on the ice.
Gustav Nyquist opened the third period with a nasty backhand shot to beat Varlamov and tie the game up. The Denver crowd was hushed by the shot, though a bit of back and forth and a number of chances for both sides brought them back. The weather began to play a role in the third, as the fake snow positioned around the ice began to blow around in the wind midway through the period. A key Detroit power play was interrupted by the change of ends at the ten minute mark, and the Wings were unable to score on the chance. Moments later Justin Abdelkader was able to redirect a puck off a pass from Darren Helm to give Detroit the lead. The were unable to hold it, though, as Alex Tanguay scored 24 seconds later to tie the game again. As overtime loomed, Brad Richards was able to chip a puck over the catching glove of Varlamov with only a minute left to play. Try as they might, the Avs were unable to get one back, giving up an empty net goal to make the final score 5-3.
The Mile High City proved a great host for its first Stadium Series game. The announced crowd of 50,095 Colorado and Detroit fans were treated to an entertaining game at a great venue with wonderful weather. With the outcome of the game in doubt until the final minute, the NHL provided yet another exciting outdoor game for an appreciative crowd. The spectacle of the game was bigger than the two points it counted for in the standings, as both teams battle for playoff position. Detroit’s victory gave the visitors a big win in an old rivalry, as well as valuable points in their playoff push.
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