The road trip was salvaged.

A record of 2-2 looks way better than 1-3, as the Colorado Avalanche went into Motown and shut out the Detroit Red Wings 5-0 at Little Caesars Arena. It was the first half of a home-and-home set as the two teams will meet again Monday at Ball Arena.

Here are five takeaways from Colorado’s bounce-back win:

1. Nathan MacKinnon came into the game on a small slump, at least by his standards, with just one goal in his last nine games. He doubled that total today, scoring two goals and adding an assist on top of it. MacKinnon did it with two new linemates, as his most common winger was not available to play.
2. Martin Necas sat out the game with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. According to the ESPN broadcast, Necas was dinged up in the Montreal game and deteriorated as the game went on. With just two games until the Olympic break, the Avalanche will likely play it safe with the winger. He’s considered day-to-day.
3. Although they didn’t score, this was the best the Avalanche looked on the power play in weeks. With Necas out, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen joined the top unit, which registered 14 shot attempts in two opportunities. There’s a good chance this is the five best players the Avalanche can run with on their top unit, as they tend to keep things simple when both Lehkonen and Nichushkin are out there.
4. Mackenzie Blackwood made some big saves in Ottawa, but also probably gave up a few he would like back. He followed that performance up with a shutout, stopping all 28 shots the Red Wings sent his way.
5. There is something to be said about a mental break being good for a player when they’re a little snake-bitten. Ross Colton didn’t want to miss three games but given he hadn’t scored in the 25 prior games, he was able to clear his head a little bit. He’s come back and now scored in back-to-back games. Colton can be streaky but he makes the team better and has shown he can play in the top six in a pinch.