Ducks send Avalanche to eighth straight loss

[February 01, 2017]  ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jakob Silfverberg's return from a head injury provided immediate dividends for the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

Silfverberg had two goals and an assist to lead the Ducks' 5-1 rout of the Colorado Avalanche at the Honda Center.

"He's huge for us," Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler said. "The guy does everything. He's having a great year defensively, and he does everything the right way. Anytime he's out of the lineup, we certainly notice. We're happy to have him back."

Silfverberg sustained a head injury Jan. 19 when Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov checked him hard into the right corner of the Ducks' zone. Silfverberg missed the next three games.

"I watched them play against Edmonton and I was not 50-50," Silfverberg said about the Ducks' loss Wednesday night. "I skated on my own on Thursday and skated pretty hard. Then I had a good workout on Friday by myself and skated by myself on Sunday, and I felt really good."

Fowler, Rickard Rakell and Korbinian Holzer added goals for the Ducks (28-15-9). Corey Perry contributed his 700th career assist and goalie John Gibson stopped 28 shots.

The win enabled Anaheim to move into second place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks lead the third-place Edmonton Oilers by one point and trail the first-place San Jose Sharks by one point.

"We're going to fight this thing out to the end," Fowler said, "and see where the chips fall."

Mikko Rantanen scored for the Avalanche (13-32-2), who suffered their eighth consecutive loss. Goalie Calvin Pickard made 26 saves.

Silfverberg used his 14th goal to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead with one second left on a power play. The Swedish winger, who had the angle on Zadorov while rushing the net, redirected Nick Ritchie's pass from the left boards inside the left post.

"We haven't really scored a lot of five-on-five goals, or had enough offense on five-on-five to satisfy the coaching staff," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "It was a welcome addition to our club."

The Ducks kept the Avalanche from scoring in the first period by defusing three power plays. Entering the game, Anaheim's penalty killers repelled 49 of 54 power plays since Dec. 25.

Rakell extended the lead to 2-0 with his team-leading 21st goal. Stationed at the right post, Rakell tipped Perry's pass from the left circle past Pickard's left skate with 2:54 gone in the second period. Perry's pass was his 700th career assist.

The Avalanche exploited a turnover to narrow the deficit to 2-1.

Mikhail Grigorenko deflected Anaheim defenseman Hampus Lindholm's pass at center ice to Rantanen, who fired a rising wrist shot on a breakaway at 5:13 of the second period for his eighth goal of the season.

Silfverberg responded with his 15th goal of the season 2:51 into the third period. After receiving Andrew Cogliano's pass from the right boards, Silfverberg stick-handled through the slot and deposited a backhand inside the left post as the puck was sliding off the blade of his stick.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar believed the game turned on Silfverberg's second goal.

"At 2-1, we're still playing OK," Bednar said. "When they get that third one, then you have to open it up and take some chances. It turns into run-and-gun, and that's really not going to turn out well for us against a team like that."

Holzer ended his streak of 100 games without a goal at 12:51 of the third period. He fired a wrist shot from the blue line that deflected off the left post for his first goal since Feb. 9, 2013.

Fowler's 11th goal, a wrist shot from the top of the slot between Pickard's legs, ended the scoring with 2:25 to play.

NOTES: Colorado scratched C John Mitchell, D Fedor Tyutin and G Semyon Varlamov. ... Avalanche D Erik Johnson skated briefly during Monday's practice but the team set no timetable for his return. Johnson suffered a broken leg Dec. 3 against the Dallas Stars. ... The Avalanche activated D Tyson Barrie and RW Rene Bourque from injured reserve. ... Ducks C Antoine Vermette and Avalanche C Matt Duchene rank first and second in winning faceoffs with percentages of 63.5 and 59.8, respectively. ... Anaheim scratched RW Jared Boll. ... Ducks C Nate Thompson made his season debut. Thompson tore an Achilles tendon in July. ... Since Christmas, Anaheim has led the NHL in penalty-killing percentage at 90.7. ... The Ducks begin a six-game, 12-day road trip Friday against the Florida Panthers, the first of 10 games in 20 days.

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