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 Erik Johnson and Alex Tanguay also scored for the Avalanche (9-1), who topped Carolina at home for the ninth straight time. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves in the win.
Carolina, which got goals from Drayson Bowman and Andrej Sekera, came into the game scrambling at the goalie position.
Justin Peters, recalled from Charlotte of the AHL earlier this month, made his first start of the season because of injuries to the Hurricanes' top two goalies and stopped 30 shots.
Cam Ward left Thursday's game at Minnesota in the first period with a lower-body injury, and Anton Khudobin has missed five games, also with a lower-body injury that has landed him on the injured list.
The Hurricanes recalled Mike Murphy from Charlotte of the AHL on an emergency basis as an additional backup before to the game.
The Avalanche were on the power play when Duchene wristed a shot from between the circles into the net for his second goal of the night. That gave Colorado a 4-1 lead 36 seconds into the third.
Carolina fought back with a goal by Sekera at 2:40. The Hurricanes had a chance to get even closer when they were on the power play midway through the period, but were turned away by Varlamov, who made consecutive saves. He stopped a shot from point-blank range by Alexander Semin.
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Colorado pressured the Hurricanes in their zone from the outset, taking a 2-0 lead while putting up 18 shots to Carolina's eight in the first period.
Johnson finished a 3-on-2 rush at 11:30 of the first by knocking the puck off his skate past Peters. Duchene scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season six minutes later, coming around the back of the net and wristing a shot that trickled in off Peters' right leg.
Carolina pulled within 2-1 when Bowman, off a centering pass from Jordan Staal, one-timed a shot from the right circle that got past Varlamov.
But the Avalanche regained a two-goal advantage at 10:11 of the second. Duchene sent a pass toward the slot where the streaking Tanguay picked it up and wristed it into the net for his third goal.
NOTES: Carolina's Radek Dvorak didn't return after leaving the game in the second period with a lower-body injury. ... Carolina's Tim Gleason played in his 600th NHL game. ... The Avs, who matched their best 10-game start, play six of their next seven at home. ... Carolina last won a game at Colorado in 1996 when they were the Hartford Whalers.
[Associated
Press; By DENNIS GEORGATOS]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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