Avalanche rallies to beat Ducks in return from lengthy COVID pause

The Avalanche is backmost to its winning ways aft much than 2 weeks without playing a game.

Colorado rallied for a 4-2 triumph Sunday astatine Ball Arena, overcoming a two-goal shortage that mirrored its sluggish start. Forward Logan O’Connor scored the game-winning extremity with 71 seconds near successful regulation. Colorado — successful enactment for the archetypal clip since Dec. 16 owed to COVID-19 pauses — extended its location winning streak to 9 games.

The Avalanche (18-8-2) travels Tuesday to look the Chicago Blackhawks.

On Sunday, the Ducks flew up aboriginal with a rebound extremity via guardant Sam Carrick past Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper — conscionable 1:55 into the game. It sucked the vigor from a once-raucous location crowd. Anaheim went up 2-0 successful the 2nd play connected a power-play chance. The Avs were 16 seconds distant from earning a termination erstwhile Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler re-directed the puck and bushed Kuemper.

That’s erstwhile Colorado flipped the publication and made its push.

The adjacent Avalanche power-play accidental resulted successful a Devon Toews snipe (fed by Mikko Rantanen and Nazem Kadri) to way 2-1 closing the 2nd period. Toews has present accounted for 5 goals this season.

Ducks goalie John Gibson was phenomenal connected Sunday with a fig of awesome saves. But Avalanche skipper Gabe Landeskog tied the crippled little than 4 minutes into the 3rd play with a power-play goal. Then O’Connor enactment Colorado up for bully connected a breakaway assisted by Nathan MacKinnon. Rantanen added an open-net extremity to adjacent it out.

A 16-day spread successful betwixt games allowed the Avalanche to regain astir afloat roster wellness upon instrumentality to play. Colorado has lone 4 players connected its wounded report: Jacob MacDonald (upper-body), Stefan Matteau (lower-body), Ryan Murray (lower-body) and Val Nichushkin (upper-body). The squad is afloat removed from the NHL’s wellness and information protocol database for COVID-19.

Avs defenseman Bo Byram returned to the crystal connected Sunday for the archetypal clip since Dec. 1 aft the 20-year-old rookie dealt with a bid connected concussion-related injuries. Byram finished with 18:35 in crystal clip and nary points against the Ducks.

This communicative volition beryllium updated.