DUCKS GRIND OUT TOUGH TIE DUCKS 3, COLORADO 3.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - The good vibes from the hard-work win against Dallas was a nice respite from the losing, but the Anaheim Mighty Ducks said the luster of that win would be tarnished quickly if it didn't produce a string of wins.

Friday's 3-3 tie with the Colorado Avalanche before a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Pond does nothing to dim the shine.

Teemu Selanne scored with 1:40 remaining in regulation to give the Ducks the tie and a pivotal point. It was also the climax of a dominating third period in which Anaheim spent most of the time in Colorado's zone. The Ducks outshot the Avalanche 38-15.

Finally Selanne tied it 3-3 with a one-timer from the slot. Selanne left the puck in the right wing corner for Paul Kariya then circled through the zone. Kariya skated along the wing boards before finding Selanne in the slot. Selanne ripped the puck past Colorado goalie Patrick Roy.

Having fought back from a pair of one-goal deficits, the Avalanche wentahead 3-2 late in the second period. Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei lostcontrol of the puck in the offensive zone and it developed quickly intoa 2-on-1 for Colorado that resulted in Chris Drury taking a feed from Alex Tanguay and shooting it into an open net with 1:19 left in the period.

Despite being outshot 18-10 in the first two periods, the Avalanche held the one-goal lead heading into the third. Less than three minutes intothe third Anaheim had an opportunity to tie it, but Roy made a glove save on a close-range backhander by Oleg Tverdovsky. The Ducks also had numerous chances on a power play - the best being Matt Cullen swatting ata loose puck - but Roy made a hand full of tough saves to preserve thelead.

The Ducks now begin grueling part of their schedule. Beginning with tonight's game in San Jose, they'll play six of their next seven games on the road.

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead 11:56 into the first period on a nice effort by Tverdovsky, who fought off a backcheck from Colorado's Peter Forsbergand slid the puck past Roy's right pad. It was Tverdovsky's first goal since Oct. 29, and fifth of the season.

Anaheim played strong defensively in the first period, but the Avalanche's power play, ranked second in the league, struck with 2:08 remaining.During a scramble in front, Forsberg reached his stick between the legsof teammate Adam Deadmarsh and flicked the puck past Ducks goalie Guy Hebert to tie it 1-1.

Until the three-goal third period in Wednesday's win against Dallas, scoring at any juncture was a problem for Anaheim. But Kariya, who had a pair of goals in the win against the Stars and assisted on Tverdovsky's goal, gave the Ducks their second one-goal lead against the Avalanche.

A nifty move by Marty McInnis allowed Anaheim to get the puck deep intoColorado's zone, and the Ducks worked the puck to the left point. Kariya's slap shot deflected off an Avalanche stick and over Roy's left shoulder as the Ducks took a 2-1 lead with 15:17 left in the second period.

DUCKS VS. SAN JOSE

Time: 7:35 p.m., San Jose Arena

TV/Radio: KCAL Ch. 9, KOGO-AM (600)

Matchup: The Mighty Ducks haven't won the second of back-to-back games since the first week of December, but this one is important given it's against a division foe. The Sharks entered Friday six points against the Ducks, but had played two more games. The Ducks beat the Sharks in theirtwo previous meetings this season, including a 1-0 win Dec. 26 in San Jose. It will be the 300th game of Teemu Selanne's career. San Jose's Owen Nolan is third in the NHL with 29 goals.

- Brian Dohn

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Box: DUCKS VS. SAN JOSE (see text)