final

Sam Carrick and Max Jones scored but the Colorado Avalanche ran away with it in the third period tonight, defeating the Ducks 8-2 at Ball Arena.

NHL GAMECENTER | DUCKS STREAM

With the loss, just Anaheim's third in its last 11 games, the Ducks fell to 9-7-0 on the season and 5-3-0 away from home ice. The setback also snapped the club's five-game road winning streak.

Carrick and Jones scored for the Ducks, as Anaheim was held to less than three goals for just the second time in those 11 contests. Radko Gudas, Brock McGinn, Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg tallied assists. Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.

Valeri Nichushkin scored twice for Colorado, each a deflected point shot from right in front of the Anaheim net. Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Frederik Olofsson, Ross Colto, Joel Kiviranta, Andrew Cogliano and Devon Toews also scored. Alexander Georgiev earned the win in net for Colorado with 15 stops.

The win pushed Colorado to 10-5-0 on the season, second in the Central Division.

The Avalanche struck first early in the opening period when Girard crashed the net and had his rebound opportunity bounce off Dostal and then over the line.

The goal was Colorado's tenth by a defenseman this season, third-most in the NHL.

Carlsson came inches from tying right back up on the next shift, ringing the post behind Georgiev, but the shot bounced innocently into the corner.

The first period was almost all Colorado as the Avs outshot the Ducks 17-3 and doubled the lead eight minutes before intermission as Nichushkin tipped home Devon Toews' point shot.

Nichushkin has goals in three of his last four games and with two on the night is now within seven of the century mark (93) for his NHL career.

But just as it seemed the Avs would parlay that strong 20 minutes into a two-goal lead at intermission, Carrick got to the front of the net and tipped home Gudas' one-timer to bring the Ducks back within one on their third shot of the night.

Carrick tips home Gudas point shot for fourth goal of the season

Carrick has four goals in 16 games this season, surpassing his total in 52 appearances (three) last year while recovering from offseason hip surgery.

Gudas has points in three straight games (2-2=4) and six points in 16 games this season, third-most among Ducks defensemen.

With the secondary helper, McGinn collected his first point of the year in his season debut. Activated off injured reserve Wednesday, McGinn tallied three points in 15 games with Anaheim last season after a trade deadline deal from Pittsburgh.

The visitors would play a much better second period but Colorado restored the two-goal lead late in the middle frame, with Olofsson beating Dostal from the slot on a one-timer that just barely grazed the netminder's glove.

The night would get away from the Ducks early in the third though as a pair of goals by Colton and Nichushkin just 1:58 apart all but sealed Colorado's tenth win of the season.

Jones would bring the Ducks back within three with 10 minutes to play in regulation, converting a backdoor pass from Henrique in tight, but it would be too little, too late for the visitors to pull off another third-period comeback.

With the assist, Henrique has points in back-to-back games.

With the secondary helper, Silfverberg passed former teammate Rickard Rakell for seventh-most points in Ducks history.

Cogliano, Kviranta and Toews capped the scoring with a trio of goals in a three-minute span.

The Ducks begin a four-game homestand Friday against Florida.