NHL: Colorado 4, Vancouver 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 6 (UPI) -- T.J. Galiardi had two goals and Peter Budaj stopped 20 shots Sunday to lead the Colorado Avalanche past Vancouver 4-1.

Ben Guite and Milan Hejduk scored for Colorado, which came into the game with an eight-game losing streak and has the worst record in the Western Conference.

Pavol Demitra scored and Robert Luongo posted 22 saves for Vancouver, which has lost three straight to lose ground in its struggle with Calgary for the Northwest Division title.

The Canucks have 94 points and have secured a playoff berth. They are tied with Calgary for the top spot in the Northwest -- and the rivals are headed for a key contest Tuesday.

Vancouver has also lost altitude in the Western Conference standings because of the losing streak -- dropping three points back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth seed.