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(Sports Network) - After having a number of their players enjoy success during the Winter Olympics, the Anaheim Ducks will be hoping for a few more favorable outcomes when the team returns from a long break to host the contending Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Honda Center.

Anaheim hasn't played since a 7-3 road rout of hapless Edmonton on February 14, although plenty of Ducks saw action during the recently-completed Olympic tournament in Vancouver. Anaheim had five members participate in Sunday's Gold Medal Game between Canada and the United States, including three on the victorious Canadian side.

Defenseman Scott Niedermayer served as captain for Team Canada, while center Ryan Getzlaf was among the squad's leading scorers with three goals and four assists. Fellow forward Corey Perry scored a key goal in Sunday's 3-2 overtime win over the U.S., which contained current Ducks Bobby Ryan and Ryan Whitney.

Getzlaf also led the offensive outburst in the Ducks' last game with two goals and two assists, with Ryan, Perry and Niedermayer each scoring once and adding an assist against Edmonton.

Two other Anaheim players -- center Saku Koivu and right wing Teemu Selanne -- took home bronze medals competing for their native Finland, while regular goaltender Jonas Hiller backstopped Switzerland to an eighth-place finish.

The Ducks will now turn their attention back to the NHL season, where the club is currently engaged in a heated battle for a playoff spot. Anaheim enters tonight's play 11th in the crowded Western Conference standings, but trails Detroit by only three points for the eighth and final postseason seed.

Anaheim made a strong push for inclusion in the final weeks before the Olympic stoppage, winning six of its final eight overall games and playing dominant hockey on home ice. The Ducks have prevailed in a franchise-record 11 consecutive outings at the Honda Center, where they haven't lost since a 4-3 shootout setback to Ottawa on December 6.

The Ducks have also fared very well against Colorado in recent years, winning five straight games in the series and going 9-1-0 in the last 10 matchups between the teams. The Avalanche have lost five in a row at Anaheim since a 3-2 shootout triumph on January 13, 2007.

Colorado enters tonight's tilt on a two-game slide after dropping a 3-2 decision to visiting Detroit on Monday. After falling behind by two goals early on, the Avs drew even on second-period tallies from Chris Stewart and T.J. Galiardi before the Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom scored on the power play with 9:03 left.

With Detroit on the man advantage, Pavel Datsyuk took a pass from the right circle and delivered a drop feed to Lidstrom, who blasted the puck past Avs netminder Craig Anderson to give the Wings a 3-2 edge.

"Datsyuk was coming across. I was looking at him," said Anderson, who finished with 27 saves. "I've got to respect the shot. I was out of position. He made a great nifty drop pass to set up the shot."

With Vancouver defeating Columbus last night, the Avalanche now trail the Canucks by two points for first place in the Northwest Division. Colorado's 76 points for the season are sixth best in the Western Conference.