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  Tuesday, Mar. 14 8:00pm ET
Colorado 4-0 with Bourque in lineup
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

DENVER (AP) -- Ray Bourque has been everything the Colorado Avalanche could have hoped for.

The defenseman, 39, scored his 398th career goal as the Avalanche beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-2 Tuesday night. Colorado is 4-0 since a March 6 trade brought Bourque to Colorado from Boston.

Patrick Roy, Steve Rucchin
Colorado goalie Patrick Roy makes a save against Anaheim center Steve Rucchin as Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote enters the play.

"We knew what we were getting," Colorado coach Bob Hartley said of Bourque, who has scored three times in the four games. "He is a proven all-around defensemen, he is a great passer with a great shot and so far no one has been disappointed."

Joe Sakic tallied for the seventh time in as many games as the Avalanche extended their lead in the Northwest Division to four points over Edmonton.

Bourque, who played with the Bruins for 21 seasons, broke a 1-1 tie with his 13th goal at 2:20 of the third. He also added an assist. Sakic also set up a goal and has 16 points in seven games.

"With the talent that we have, if they overplay Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, myself or Sandis Ozolinsh, somebody is going to be open," Bourque said. "And we have a lot of talent on the power play, guys that can shoot the puck. Not just one guy."

Forsberg scored his first goal in 12 games and added an assist. Chris Drury broke a nine-game goal drought for the Avalanche.

Oleg Tverdovsky and Ted Donato scored for Anaheim, winless in three games (0-2-1).

Dominic Roussel started in place of Ducks goalie Guy Hebert, who was injured Saturday when hit by teammate Paul Kariya in a tie with St. Louis. Roussel made 17 saves.

Anaheim controlled play for all but the final four minutes of the first period, but trailed 1-0. The Avalanche, outshot 10-6 in the period, turned a seemingly harmless clearing pass by Roussel into Drury's ninth goal.

Roussel sent the puck along the boards from behind the net, but Drury picked it off in the right circle and fired a shot over Roussel's glove side at 17:13.

In the second period, Patrick Roy turned aside Donato on a 2-on-1 break after Jon Klemm turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Two minutes later, Roy denied two shots after defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh turned the puck over.

Tverdovsky tied the game at 1, deflecting a shot past Roy 35 seconds into the third. Teemu Selanne took a shot from the slot and Tverdovsky got enough stick on the puck for his 12th goal.

Roy stopped 26 shots for his 27th victory this season and 439th career, closing within eight wins of Terry Sawchuk's NHL record.

The tie lasted long enough for Colorado to convert on two power plays against the worst penalty-killing team in the NHL. Ruslan Salei was sent off for holding and Bourque sent a slap shot past Roussel.

"The guy that really made the goal was Adam Deadmarsh," Bourque said. "He was waving in front of the goalie, who couldn't see a thing, and all I had to do was put the puck on the net."

Forsberg got a gift goal at 5:47, after Pavel Trnka was whistled for high-sticking. Forsberg made a pass from the left point that went off the stick of Anaheim defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski and past Roussel.

Sakic got his 22nd goal at 12:38.

Donato made it 4-2 at 14:29.
 


ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard

Anaheim Clubhouse

Colorado Clubhouse


RECAPS
Detroit 3
Nashville 2

Tampa Bay 4
Montreal 3

Colorado 4
Anaheim 2

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Ray Bourque fires a shot past Dominic Roussel.
avi: 512 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Ted Donato shows off some great moves for the goal.
avi: 940 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Joe Sakic scores his second goal of the night.
avi: 467 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1