Ducks 6, Avalanche 2
Captain Ryan Getzlaf collected a goal and two assists as the Anaheim Ducks scored four times in the second period and cruised to a 6-2 road triumph over the reeling Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
Corey Perry and Saku Koivu both scored and set up a goal, while Bobby Ryan, Brad Winchester and Dan Sexton also tallied as Anaheim (37-26-5) defeated Colorado for the 18th time in 23 outings.
Veteran Teemu Selanne and defenseman Luca Sbisa notched a pair of assists apiece for the Ducks, who remained two points behind eighth-place Los Angeles (38-25-5). The Kings posted a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier on Friday.
Koivu and Getzlaf tallied nearly three minutes apart in the second to give Anaheim a 2-1 advantage. After David Jones leveled the contest at 4:52 of the session, but Perry regained the lead just 28 seconds later for the Ducks with his team-leading 34th goal of the season. Sexton doubled the advantage nearly five minutes later.
The offensive outburst was enough for Dan Ellis, who turned aside 24 shots to improve to 5-1-1 since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Ryan O'Reilly also tallied for Colorado (26-33-8), which fell to 1-15-2 in its last 18 outings. The Avalanche also suffered their eighth straight setback at the Pepsi Center.
Brian Elliott finished with 27 saves to fall to 0-4-1 since being acquired by the Avalanche.