National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Anaheim 3, Colorado 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, March 20, 2015
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees: Tom Kowal, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Ryan Galloway
Attendance: 17313

Ducks 3, Avalanche 2 (OT): Corey Perry scored on a breakaway 1:25 into overtime as host Anaheim moved two points ahead of Montreal in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen atoned for an earlier miscue by poking the puck away from Colorado blue-liner Brad Stuart in the Ducks' zone and sending Perry in alone on Semyon Varlamov, who was beaten high to the glove side. Jiri Sekac and Rickard Rakell each recorded a goal and an assist while Frederik Andersen made 22 saves as Anaheim completed a perfect three-game homestand and ran its overall winning streak to four contests.

Jarome Iginla and Ryan O'Reilly scored for the Avalanche, who climbed within six points of Winnipeg for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Varlamov turned aside 37 shots as Colorado had its three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 6-1-1 this month.

Anaheim grabbed an early lead as Sekac came out from behind the net before turning and firing the puck into the top right corner of the net 3:37 into the contest. The goal held up until the 5:28 mark of the third period, when Matt Duchene made a pass from the left corner to Iginla, who beat Andersen from the doorstep to forge a tie.

O'Reilly put Colorado ahead while short-handed less than two minutes later, pouncing on a loose puck after a misplay by Vatanen at the Avalanche blue line and beating Andersen to the stick side on a breakaway. The lead lasted only 1:45 as Rakell ripped a turnaround shot from the inner edge of the left faceoff circle past Varlamov after securing a loose puck in the slot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Vatanen returned to the lineup after missing 15 games with a leg injury. ... Sekac's goal was his first in 11 games with the Ducks after being acquired from the Canadiens. ... The one-goal victory was Anaheim's league-leading 29th of the season.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Anaheim
Jarome Iginla 1 Points Rickard Rakell 2
Jarome Iginla 1 Goals Rickard Rakell 1
Matt Duchene 1 Assists Rickard Rakell 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
Ryan O'Reilly 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Semyon Varlamov .925 Save Percentage Frederik Andersen .917
Semyon Varlamov 37 Saves Frederik Andersen 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Colorado 24 2 0-1 3-3 6 26
Anaheim 40 3 0-3 1-1 2 23
Upcoming Games
  • Anaheim will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Ducks have a W/L % of .652 after a win and .593 after a loss.
  • Colorado will play their next game on the road against Calgary. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .514 after a loss.