By Brent W. New, Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — J.T. Compher scored his first NHL goal, Calvin Pickard stopped 27 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Matt Duchene scored his first goal in 12 games, and Carl Soderberg added his first in 18 games as the NHL-worst Avalanche won at home for the third time in four tries. They are 11-22-2 at the Pepsi Center this season.
Andreas Athanasiou scored for the Red Wings, who, like their once-hated rival, are well out of the playoff hunt. Jimmy Howard made 26 saves in his second start since returning from a knee injury that had kept him out since Dec. 20.
The Avalanche were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 1-0 loss to Arizona on Monday, tying a franchise record set in 2008-09. It took them 1½ periods to break through against Detroit.
