Giguere Holds the Avalanche in Check to Secure a 1-1 Tie

On paper, it didn’t look as if there was much chance for the Mighty Ducks to gain a point against the red-hot Colorado Avalanche Monday night.

The Ducks were playing the final game of a four-game trip, and Colorado entered with an eight-game unbeaten streak.

Still, behind another stellar effort from goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim was able to hold off the Avalanche and skate away with a 1-1 tie in front of a sellout crowd of 18,007 at Pepsi Center.

“I feel like I am more focused than I was,” said Giguere, who didn’tgive up a goal in the Ducks’ victory at Calgary on Saturday and finished with 33 saves against Colorado. “The last few games that I’ve played, I have felt pretty good.... It’s a question of confidence and being confident in yourself, knowing that you are going to make the save.”

Anaheim struck first against the defending Stanley Cup champions when forward Dan Bylsma scored his sixth goal of the season seven minutes into the first period.

Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky set up the score with a clever pass from behind the Colorado net, and Bylsma beat goaltender Patrick Roy from the slot for the 1-0 advantage.

The Ducks might have ended up with a shutout if not for a breakdown on defense at the end of the second period.

After killing off a late penalty on defenseman Pavel Trnka, Anaheim allowed the Avalanche to get the puck into the Ducks’ zone and Joe Sakic made them pay with his 13th goal of the season at 19:54 of the period.

“This was a good trip,” forward Samuel Pahlsson said. “We’re playing better defensively. Our positioning has been good. It feels like we know what we’re doing.”

The Ducks, who gave up only seven goals on the 1-1-1 trip to Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado, open a three-game homestand Wednesday against Vancouver.