ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Not many players have a weekend like the one Jakob Silfverberg just experienced.
A day after signing a $26.5 million, five-year extension, the Anaheim right winger had a goal and an assist to help the Ducks beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak.
It was Silfverberg’s third multi-point game this season. He leads the team in goals with 17 and is tied for fourth in points (26). His goal at 3:17 of the first period, where he went top shelf with a wrist shot near the right faceoff circle, also made him the ninth player to score 100 goals with Anaheim.
“It was nice to see that one go in and obviously nice to get the lead for once,” Silfverberg said. “Getting rewarded with the win is big, especially at times like this when we haven’t gotten the results we wanted.”
Cam Fowler also had a goal and John Gibson made 25 saves for his first victory since Jan. 19. Gibson had lost five straight and also missed nine games because of a concussion and having his wisdom teeth pulled.
It is the 24th time this season that Gibson has allowed two goals or less.
Derick Brassard scored for Colorado and Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots. The Avalanche have dropped three of their last four after winning four straight.
It is only Anaheim’s third win in its last 13 at home as it is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Overall, the Ducks are 4-6 since general manager Bob Murray fired Randy Carlyle as coach and took over.
“It’s nice for us to get one, grind it out in the third and save the win,” assistant coach Mark Morrison said. “That’s even more important for us, how we were able to keep the 2-1 lead in the third.”
The Avalanche missed an opportunity to pick up valuable points as they are fighting for a Western Conference playoff spot. Colorado trails Minnesota by two points for the final playoff spot with 16 games remaining.
“I don’t know what we’re waiting for. We should be the desperate hockey team right now,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “We’re the ones that are trying to fight to get into the playoffs, we’re sitting there right in the bubble and you got to come out like you mean it. We didn’t tonight and we didn’t on Friday (in a loss at San Jose).”
Fowler added to the lead at 10:26 of the second with a slap shot from the point on a power play that deflected off the stick of Avalanche forward Matt Calvert. Fowler’s fourth goal of the season also marked the first time in six games that the Ducks scored on the power play.
“Everyone knows where we’re at in the standings. There was a lot that went on in the beginning part of the season and we lost our identity a little bit,” Fowler said. “We’re very focused on simplifying things now.”
Brassard scored at 4:17 of the third on a one-timer from the right faceoff circle off a pass from Carl Soderberg. It was Brassard’s 12th of the season and second since being acquired from Florida on Feb. 25.
NOTES: Colorado’s Ian Cole was assessed a game misconduct midway through the second period for kneeing Devin Shore. Morrison said Shore - who did not return to the game - would have an MRI on his left knee Monday but that he was walking around the locker room after the game. … It is Fowler’s 13th game-winning goal, which ties him with Scott Niedermayer for the franchise lead among defensemen.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Host Detroit on Tuesday night.
Ducks: At Arizona on Tuesday night.
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