Kurt Sauer kept hearing his name, so he kept hopping over the boards looking for someone to hit.

Thirty-seven shifts, 29 minutes played, three hits delivered, two shots blocked, one assist recorded, zero pucks given away. A partridge in a pear tree would have been apt after Sauer helped the Avalanche run its winning streak to five games Wednesday night.

"They just kept telling me to go out there," he said after practice Friday. "Around the second period I was like, 'Gosh, I kind of feel tired.' I didn't realize how many minutes I was playing, but you just go out and play."

While big minutes and across- the-board production were common when defenseman Rob Blake patrolled the Colorado blue line, such scenarios have been rare for Sauer during the past two seasons.

He played in only nine of the first 54 games of 2005-06 and was a healthy scratch for 30 of the first 31 games this season.

Injuries to defensemen Patrice Brisebois, Jordan Leopold and Karlis Skrastins have given Sauer an opportunity to prove his worth, and coach Joel Quenne-ville likes the response.

"The quantity and the quality of his ice time's been enhanced. He's really taken advantage of it," Quenneville said. "It reminds me of when he was in Anaheim playing against the other team's best line. It's nice to see him playing this well, especially in such an important situation."

The parallels to Anaheim are encouraging for Sauer and his teammates.

As a rookie with the Mighty Ducks in 2002-03, Sauer played a big role in helping seventh- seeded Anaheim upset the top two teams in the Western Conference playoffs, Dallas and Detroit, on the way to a surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Sauer, traded to the Avalanche during the 2003-04 season, said he has tried to return to the physical, stay-at-home defensive style that served him so well with the Ducks.

"Physical play. That's basically it," he said. "I was worried about the puck. When I'd get the puck, I would think I would have to do something with the puck, when really all I had to do was get it to a forward."

No longer concerned about being creative with the puck, Sauer is free to focus on making things difficult for opposing forwards. Some of the most recent targets have included Daniel Briere of Buffalo and Rick Nash of Columbus.

"He's playing confident, he's physical, he's aggressive," said Brett Clark, Sauer's defensive partner for the past six games. "That's the way he played in Anaheim and it's good to see him get back to that."

The next marked man figures to be Marian Gaborik when Colorado travels to Minnesota for another must-win game against the Wild on Sunday.

The Wild beat Buffalo on Friday, moving 10 points ahead of the Avs. Despite getting 10 points in the past five games, Colorado remains in ninth place.

"We've got to get some help, because we certainly haven't gotten any lately," Quenneville said. "I think we still have to win almost every game - and we still could miss the playoffs."

In addition to carrying postseason implications, the game Sunday will be a big one for Sauer because it will be played within 90 minutes of his hometown of St. Cloud, Minn.

Playing in front of friends and family in the self-proclaimed State of Hockey is nothing new, but Sauer is playing with a renewed confidence that has been in hibernation for the better part of three seasons.

"It's always fun to go back to Minnesota. I'm playing a little different than I usually do and I'm excited about it," he said.

Because of his lack of playing time early in the season, Sauer also is enjoying the advantage of fresh legs. While most players are dipping into their reserve tank, the 26-year-old is in midseason form.

"He's young, he's big (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and he's strong," Quenneville said, "so I would expect him to have a lot left."

A FIRST: A win Sunday would give the Avalanche its first 5-0 trip in franchise history.

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com