Kirivanta, Cogliano score 21 seconds apart, Avalanche beat Ducks 8-2
By MICHAEL KELLY
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Joel Kiviranta and Andrew Cogliano scored 21 seconds apart in a five-goal third period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 8-2 on Wednesday night.
Kiviranta, signed to a two-way contract earlier this week, added two assists. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews had a goal and an assist each and Fredrik Olofsson and Ross Colton also scored for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 15 saves.
Kiviranta was in Avalanche training camp on a professional tryout contract and had been playing with the Colorado Eagles on an AHL deal before being signed Sunday.
He played 163 career games with Dallas and was on the Stars team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. He eliminated the Avalanche when he scored the overtime goal in Game 7 of the second round that postseason.
“He’s an NHL player, he’s a worker, he’s got a good skill level,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Kiviranta. “He kind of fits the mold of our bottom six (forwards).”
Max Jones and Sam Carrick scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim, which was playing the second game of a back-to-back. It was the Ducks’ sixth game in 11 days.
“You don’t want to use that (as an excuse),” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “They were humming. We just made some really poor decisions.”
Colorado led 3-1 after two but put it away when Colton and Nichushkin struck 1:58 apart early in the third to go ahead 5-1.
Jones scored to make it 5-2 but Kiviranta and Cogliano scored quickly and Toews capped the big third period with his second of the season at 15:18.
Girard got Colorado on the board early 6:40 into the game with his first goal of the season. Nichushkin made it 2-0 at 12:40 when he deflected a shot by Toews but Carrick deflected Radko Gudas’ shot at 19:27 of the first to make it 2-1. It was just the second shot on goal for Anaheim.
“It was a great point shot from Gudas,” Carrick said. “We know he can shoot the puck and I got my stick on it.”
Colorado was without defenseman Josh Manson for the second straight game due to an upper-body injury but Cogliano, who missed two straight games with an upper-body injury, returned and scored his first of the season.
“A lot of goals, a lot of guys got on the board tonight,” Cogliano said. “Defensively we did a good job.”
Cale Makar had three assists and Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Johnson had two assist each for the Avalanche. Colorado was shutout in three straight road games before winning 5-1 at Seattle on Monday night. That came after getting blown out 8-2 at home to St. Louis on Saturday night. The Avalanche
“I don’t know if I’ve been on a team where we don’t score three road games in a row,” Makar said.
UP NEXT
Ducks: Host Florida on Friday night.
Avalanche: At Dallas on Saturday night.
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