Happy Ducks pull mighty sweep of Avs
Date: 13-05-2006 02:01
In a matchup that was a coming-out for several of Anaheim's young players, Colorado had the look and overall performance of a team past its prime.
Teemu Selanne's shot from the left faceoff circle early in the second period proved to be the game-winner, but 23-year-old Dustin Penner shot through any momentum for a comeback when he scored 6 minutes into the third. Todd Marchant scored into an empty net with less than two minutes remaining off a Colorado turnover.
"It's a great performance for all of us," said Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who made 40 saves. "The Avalanche tried really hard tonight."
Anaheim goes home to await the winner of the San Jose-Edmonton series. The Ducks' last playoff appearance, in 2003, resulted in a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.
The Avs have not been swept in 26 playoff series since moving to Denver in 1995, according to the Associated Press.
Before that, the franchise suffered just two sweeps, in the 1986 Adams Division semifinals against Hartford and the 1982 Eastern Conference final against the New York Islanders.
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