Eurolanche

Avalanche return home to host Ducks

Season series: This is the first of three games between the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche; they won't face each other again until March 20 at Honda Center. Anaheim won two of three against Colorado last season.

Ducks team scope: As a team, the Ducks are off to a good start with nine wins in their first 12 games. But two of their promising young forwards, Emerson Etem and Jakob Silfverberg, have yet to score a goal. Silfverberg has four assists; Etem is still searching for his first point. "For myself, I'm just trying to finish my checks and do all the little things defensively," Etem told the Orange County Register on Saturday. "I think when you're playing a fourth-line role, there's only so much offense as far as time to get on the ice and stuff that you can control. First and foremost, it's being strong on the walls. Getting the puck out and banging. Using your body and trying to create space that way. We've got to earn our ice time and we're going to do that first."

Avalanche team scope: Colorado extended its point streak to six games (2-0-4) Saturday when it lost 3-2 in a shootout to the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Avalanche boarded a plane after the game and flew home to play what will be their second game in as many nights. Colorado erased a 2-0 deficit in the third period with power-play goals from Ryan O'Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon. "We deserve better than that tonight," center Matt Duchene said. "I think we played a [heck of a] hockey game. [Goaltender Sergei Varlamov] played well, our D did well, our fourth line played well and created a lot of chances. Our power play was clicking and it [stinks] to just to be coming out with one point."

– by NHL.com –

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