Last Game: Colorado Avalanche 4, San Jose Sharks 1
DENVER (AP) -- Defensemen Ray Bourque, Jon Klemm and Greg de Vries scored goals as the streaking Colorado Avalanche beat San Jose 4-1 Tuesday night.
The victory might have been costly for Colorado, however, as All-Star defenseman Rob Blake and goalie Patrick Roy both exited the game with injuries.
"With (Blake) going down, obviously we were a little bit short on the back end," said Klemm. "Obviously, our minutes went up but it was a fun game to play. The atmosphere was really good and the fans were in it."
Colorado, 10-1-0-2 in its last 13 games, extended its lead to eight points over Detroit (107-99) in the race for the NHL's best record and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Joe Sakic, the league's second-leading scorer, had three points, including an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Said Sakic: "San Jose's got a good hockey team - they're in your face. They play hard. We were ready for this game. In the second and third periods, obviously, we played better than the first. The guys had their wheels and made some smart plays."
Blake sprained his right knee early in the second period in a mid-ice collision with San Jose's Bill Lindsay and did not return. Blake, acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 21, was to be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Roy departed early in the final period with tendinitis in his knee and the Avs ahead 3-1. The team announced that Roy might return to the game, but he didn't. David Aebischer finished up, stopping all nine shots he faced.
"I think either way, with Patrick or without him, we try to play a little more defensive," said Chris Drury. "They have a good offensive team with Selanne and Nolan, and we try not to let them get any chances late in the game."
Roy had 15 saves, and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov had 28.
In a first period that saw San Jose outshoot Colorado by a paltry 7-3, the Sharks took a 1-0 lead on Owen Nolan's 23rd goal at 7:39. Nolan, with his back to the goal, swatted at the puck and redirected it past Roy.
Colorado got goals from Bourque and Klemm in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
Bourque's seventh goal, in a short-handed situation, came at 4:19 after Sakic played keep away with the puck in the right circle, then found Bourque open in the left circle.
At 16:01, Alex Tanguay passed from behind the goal to Klemm, stationed just left of the net.
The Avs, who outshot the Sharks 16-8 in the period, nearly scored on several other occasions. Nabokov made a sprawling glove save off Peter Forsberg, and Sakic hit the post on another scoring try.
de Vries, with a shot from just outside the left circle, beat Nabokov at 2:53 of the third period. Sakic scored his 44th goal at 18:50.
Game Notes:
Sharks D Bryan Marchment returned after serving a three-game suspension for a knee-to-thigh hit on Montreal's Martin Rucinsky that put Rucinsky out for the season. The Sharks are 1-8-1-2 in their last 12 games. Colorado begins a five-game road trip Thursday at St. Louis. Avs D Adam Foote, out since Jan. 4 with a separated right shoulder, will accompany the team for upcoming road games in St. Louis and Boston but likely won't play until next week in Edmonton. The Avalanche tied a franchise record for points in a season with 107, first accomplished during the 1996-97 season. Colorado posted its 27th home victory of the year, which is a new franchise record for home wins in a season (previous: 26 in 1996-97). Three different defensemen (Klemm, Bourque, and de Vries) scored tonight, which is the only time it has happened this season. Joe Sakic extended his point streak to seven games (7g/5a) and his goal streak to four games. Milan Hejduk extends his point streak to five games (3g/4a). Jon Klemm played in his 400th career NHL game tonight. Klemm scored his second game winning goal in 70 games this season having only registered two game winners in his previous 330 matches. Peter Forsberg now has a three game point/assist streak (5a). Defenseman Greg de Vries has notched four points in his last four games (2g/2a).
Box score: 1st 2nd 3rd OT F
San Jose 1 0 0 1
Colorado 0 2 2 4
First Period: Scoring: 1, San Jose, Nolan 23 (Rathje, Marleau), 7:39.
Second Period: Scoring: 2, Colorado, Bourque 7 (shorthanded) (Sakic, Hejduk), 4:19. 3, Colorado, Klemm 4 (Tanguay, Sakic), 16:01. Penalties: Forsberg, Col (hooking), 3:12; Hannan, SJ (interference), 5:50; Suter, SJ (obstruction hooking), 10:06; Sakic, Col (holding), 19:20.
Third Period: Scoring: 4, Colorado, de Vries 5 (Tanguay), 2:53. 5, Colorado, Sakic 44 (empty net) (Forsberg, Hejduk), 18:50. Penalties: Ricci, SJ (holding), 1:26; Drury, Col (high sticking), 1:26; Pratt, Col (cross checking), 5:27; Matteau, SJ (interference), 12:57.
Shots on Goal: San Jose 7 8 10 =25 Colorado 3 16 13 =32
Power-Play Conversions: San Jose - 0 of 3, Colorado - 0 of 3. Goalies: San Jose, Nabokov (31 shots, 28 saves; record: 29-18-6). Colorado, Roy (16 shots, 15 saves; record: 37-12-6), Aebischer (4:16 of 3rd period, 9 shots, 9 saves). A: 18,007. Referees: McGeough, Roberts. Linesmen: Nelson, Mitton.
