Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Two-pointer in loss

Girard had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Carolina. He added three shots, four blocks and two penalty minutes to his line over 15:53 of ice time.

Girard spearheaded a rush that resulted in a Zach Parise tally -- Colorado's first goal -- late in the first period to make it a 3-1 game. Just five seconds later, following the ensuring draw at center ice, he lobbed a knuckler toward the Hurricanes' zone that eluded Pyotr Kochetkov, and the Avalanche closed the gap to 3-2. The blueliner has goals in two straight tilts and four points over his last four games.