SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Teemu Selanne could think of only one way to silence the boos.
Selanne scored the go-ahead goal in his return to San Jose, and Derek Morris had a career-high four points as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Sharks 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Selanne wasn't welcomed back in his first regular-season game in San Jose since rejecting his contract option with the Sharks to sign with Colorado for less money.
The Finnish Flash spent parts of three seasons with the Sharks, leading them in scoring twice while playing every game in the past two seasons -- but his former fans booed him every time he touched the puck.
"I can't say it's nice, but I can't say it bothers me," Selanne said. "I've scored a lot of goals in this building, and it's always nice when you win."
Selanne lit up the Sharks regularly during his early years in Anaheim, and he hasn't lost the touch after his time in teal. He has 37 goals and 73 points in 42 games against San Jose.
"If you've got a guy that's going against his old team, you obviously want him to do well," said Colorado coach Tony Granato, a former Sharks forward. "(The Sharks) are playing extremely well right now, so it was a tremendous effort for us."
Morris had a goal and three assists, and Joe Sakic also scored in the third period as the Avalanche beat San Jose for the seventh straight time. Milan Hejduk scored his 11th goal, second-most in the NHL, to keep Colorado unbeaten in five games.
Sakic put Colorado ahead early in the third period with his fourth goal on a graceful play behind the Sharks' defense, but Patrick Marleau tied it for San Jose moments later with a rebound goal.
Just six seconds into a Colorado power play midway through the third, Selanne deflected Rob Blake's shot past Evgeni Nabokov for his third goal.
"It's frustrating, because they were ripe to be beaten," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "We had some chances, and the mistakes we made were simple mistakes to correct, but mistakes that you can't make."
Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm also scored for the Sharks, who returned from a seven-game road trip to begin a stretch with six of seven games at the Shark Tank -- where they're still winless in six games this season.
Nabokov made 27 saves for San Jose, which failed to earn a point for the first time in six games.
David Aebischer stopped 26 shots and survived the Sharks' extra-skater flurry in the final seconds of his eighth victory for the Avalanche.
Peter Forsberg, the defending NHL scoring champion and MVP, was a last-minute scratch for Colorado. After skating with his teammates before the game, he was sidelined with a groin injury that also kept him out of three games this month.
"Even without Forsberg, they have an All-Star lineup," Sharks center Vincent Damphousse said. "They are very powerful on power plays, and it usually makes a difference like it did again tonight."
The Avalanche went up 2-1 on a power play late in the second period, catching Nabokov out of position. Hejduk received a pass from Morris and scored easily from the slot for his third goal in three games.
The Sharks tied it moments later when Sturm tucked home Vincent Damphousse's deflected shot.
Notes
- The Avalanche also played without LW Paul Kariya, out with a sprained wrist since Oct. 21, and D Adam Foote, out for a week with a hamstring injury.
- Hejduk has eight goals in 10 games and has scored a point in 10 of 11.
- Sharks LW Scott Thornton played his 700th NHL game.
- Colorado LW Steve Konowalchuk turned 31.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2003, The
Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
