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Ducks look to extend win streak vs. shorthanded Avalanche

Feb 12, 2008 - 3:38 PM Anaheim (31-22-7) at Colorado (30-21-5) 9:30 pm EST

DENVER (Ticker) - With help on the horizon, the Colorado Avalanche just need to hang in a little longer.

The Avalanche will look to halt the surging Anaheim Ducks when the teams meet Tuesday at the Pepsi Center.

Colorado has been without its top three players - Paul Stastny, Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth - for the last three weeks. The team has gone 5-3-2 in that span and has managed to win three of its last four games to move into sixth place in the Western Conference playoff standings.

But all three players are on the verge of returning. Stastny, who leads the team with 49 points, could be on the ice as early as Tuesday, and all three players have been skating at practice.

Milan Hejduk and Marek Svatos scored two goals apiece in a 6-2 win at Vancouver on Saturday. Jose Theodore made 23 saves in the win and has allowed more than two goals just twice in his last six starts.

The Ducks have yet to lose since welcoming back last year's top scorer, Teemu Selanne, who made his first appearence after coming out of retirement on February 5 and is working his way back into shape on the ice. Anaheim has outscored its opponents 12-4 in the past four games.

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere is 3-0-1 with a pair of shutouts and a 0.74 goals against average in his last four starts. He has yet to allow more than four goals in any start this season.

Giguere sat out the Ducks' 2-1 overtime win against the Avalanche in the last meeting between the clubs. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider tallied the overtime game winner.