• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Selanne caps rally in return as Ducks top Avalanche

Feb 1, 2009 - 12:34 AM By Dave Reed PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- It did not take long for Teemu Selanne to make an impact for the Anaheim Ducks.

After missing 17 games with a lacerated thigh, Selanne scored his first goal to snap a tie just over five minutes into the third period as the Ducks skated to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon.

Selanne also became Anaheim's career leader with 617 games played, surpassing Steve Rucchin's total of 616.

All-Star Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer each had a goal and two assists and Jonas Hiller made his third consecutive start in goal for Anaheim, making 16 of his 33 saves in the first period.

"I took the first goal again, but we fought back pretty quick," Hiller said. "I'm very happy about getting the win and very happy about getting the two points."

With the puck lost in a crowd in front of Colorado's net, Andrew Ebbett chipped a pass to Selanne and the veteran right wing buried a shot past Peter Budaj for his 15th goal of the season.

"I'm just happy to be back," Selanne said. "Obviously, I'm not close to being 100 percent yet, but it's good to be back."

Colorado, which has lost four consecutive games and seven of its last eight, managed just a pair of shots until the closing minutes of the final period.

"It's tough when you lose that many games in a row," Ian Laperriere said. "We did a lot of good things tonight but again we didn't find a way to get points. It's getting old right now."

Defenseman John-Michael Liles' power-play goal on an assist from rookie Chris Stewart gave Colorado a 1-0 lead. Liles has two goals and four assists in his last six games, while Stewart has eight points with four goals and four assists in last eight.

"We had some chances and the goalie made saves," Liles said. "We just have to try to keep plugging away. It's the way it goes sometimes."

The lead didn't last long. With Hiller on the bench during a delayed penalty on the Avalanche, the Ducks kept Colorado pinned in its own end for nearly a minute and tied the game when George Parros scored with a slap shot from the slot off a pass from Getzlaf.

Getzlaf put the Ducks ahead with 3:54 remaining in the first period when he put a wrist shot from the slot past Budaj high on the stick side.

"It was one of those games where we found a way to grind it out and get the goal in the third period," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "The third period is more indicative of how we have to play for the rest of the season. We can't be cute. We have to put pucks in deep and go grind it out."

Colorado took its second lead midway through the second period when it struck for a pair of goals in a span of 1:44.

Milan Hejduk scored an unassisted shorthanded goal after he took the puck from defenseman Bret Hedican in the neutral zone, and then Laperriere scored with a wrist shot from the left circle after Cody McLeod jumped on another turnover along the left boards and carried into the Ducks' zone.

"We played a pretty good 40 minutes against a very good team," Laperriere said. "In the third period, for whatever reason, we tried to win the game (by) ourselves. You can't expect to beat guys like Pronger and Niedermayer 1-on-1. You have to learn from those mistakes, but we're running out of time right now."

Niedermayer tied the game with 6:25 remaining in the second period when he buried a one-timer from the right circle after taking a cross-ice pass from rookie Bobby Ryan on the power play. It marked the eighth consecutive game Anaheim has scored at least one power-play goal.

Niedermayer extended his point streak to five games, while Ryan's streak improved to seven games.