"Curtis McElhinney has been involved in so many special deliveries lately that he might as well put on a UPS uniform.

Last month he left the Ducks during an East Coast trip to witness the birth of daughter Jaxen. Saturday he was summoned into the net after a strange illness hit Jonas Hiller.

McElhinney turned in his second career shutout, and Corey Perry became the first Ducks player to score all three goals in a victory, a 3-0 defeat of the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center.

The Ducks got out of frigid Denver with a 10-4 record without captain Ryan Getzlaf, and McElhinney might have smiled the widest.

"I feel good right now," McElhinney said. "I feel comfortable. Guys did a good job there ... it's good. It's fun. It's nice to get an opportunity like that."

The best of McElhinney's 25 saves came late with a terrific right skate denial on Adam Foote, and he held ground when Colorado kept the puck in his zone for nearly 90 seconds in the end."