extended his hitting streak to seven games

DENVER -- Semyon Varlamov and the Colorado Avalanche found a cure for their first slump of the season -- play the Stanley Cup champs. Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. Gabriel Landeskog and John Mitchell also scored during Colorados three-goal first period. P.A. Parenteau and Cody McLeod added goals in the second and third for Colorado, which snapped a three-game skid. "You always say a win is a win, and it is. But at the same time our strength is our team morale and confidence," Landeskog said. "It feels good. It doesnt mean anything unless we go into Phoenix and play well." Brandon Saad scored for the Blackhawks, who failed to get at least two goals for the first time this season. Colorado ended Chicagos NHL-record streak of 24 consecutive games with at least a point to start a season in a 6-2 win last March. "Maybe we tend to respect them a little more than other teams, which we shouldnt," Stastny said. "We should respect everyone the same way. When youre young, that happens. Theyre the defending champs and you always want to play your best against the best." Antti Raanta made 14 saves in his NHL debut for the Blackhawks. He played the final 46:23 in relief of Corey Crawford, who allowed three goals on seven shots. "The target all the time was that someday I could play in the NHL, and in Rockford I had good games there, and I know I can do it," he said. "Only now its the small things, so we have to keep doing work and prepare to be even better all the time." The Blackhawks had their opportunities in outshooting Colorado 37-23. They had several quality chances to get back in the game in the second period but couldnt put one past Varlamov. Colorado stumbled after winning 14 of its first 16 games but capitalized on its chances in the first period this time. Stastny scored when Brent Seabrooks pass off the boards ricocheted to him in the slot, and he beat Crawford with a slap shot. Landeskog gave Colorado a two-goal lead when he redirected Andre Benoits shot from the point past Crawford with 7:39 left in the period. Just 56 seconds later, Mitchell made it 3-0. "We had a really good start. We were really sharp around the net and scored nice goals," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. Raanta, recalled Sunday, replaced Crawford after Mitchells goal. He faced only seven shots over the next 25 minutes but allowed his first goal late in the second period. After the Blackhawks had several strong chances in front of Varlamov, Parenteau skated down the left boards and beat Raanta with a shot from the circle to make it 4-0 with 1:22 left in the second. "The fourth goal was big for us. They were buzzing in our zone and Varly made some key saves for us," Roy said. "Youre always afraid being up 3-0 of having a letdown. But we were moving our feet." McLeod scored his first goal of the season on a rebound 1:44 into the third. Chicago lost forward Bryan Bickell in the first period after he crashed into the Avalanche net. He didnt return, and coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that Bickell might be more than day to day. "But Im not sure of that," Quenneville said. Its a tough blow for the Blackhawks, who are playing without forwards Michael Handzus and Marian Hossa. "Bicksie is obviously a big part of this and you hope its not too long," Kris Versteeg said. "Obviously, we need him in the lineup." NOTES: Colorado forward Maxime Talbot and defenceman Tyson Barrie had two assists each. ... There were only two penalties called in the game, one on each team. ... Avalanche C Matt Duchene is expected to miss at least a week with an oblique injury sustained in Saturdays loss to Florida. ... Hossa missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Colorado placed forward Alex Tanguay (knee) and defenceman Ryan Wilson (back) on injured reserve and recalled C Brad Malone and Barrie from Lake Erie of the AHL. Nike Air VaporMax 2019 White-Metallic Gold . The veteran NFL receiver received his work permit and is in Montreal for the start of the Alouettes rookie camp. Johnson even took in the Montreal Canadiens Game 5 win over the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre Tuesday night. Cheap Vapormax China . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-v...-clearance.html. Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. Vapormax 97 Clearance . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit Black Anthracite . -- Masahiro Tanaka knows that first appearance in a spring training game for the New York Yankees will be scrutinized.PHOENIX - A group of Mets players gathered around the television in the clubhouse to watch a replay of Kirk Nieuwenhuis homer a couple of hours earlier. Off the crack of the bat, one player shouted: "Get in the pool!" Nieuwenhuis just missed a splashdown but was on the mark in his season debut. Called up from the minors after Juan Lagares went on the disabled list, Nieuwenhuis had three hits, three RBIs and made a diving catch in centre field to lead New York to a 9-0 rout of the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. "Three years ago, he was a guy people thought was going to be an offensive centre fielder people thought could run, play the game the right way and had some power," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "But some injuries have kept him down a little bit. Hopefully this is his chance to come up and produce." Struggling heading into the three-game series, the Mets have gotten hot in the desert. New York had 13 hits to win the opener and had 12 more to ensure a winning record on its nine-game road trip. Nieuwenhuis had the big highlight, a two-run homer to the pool deck at Chase Field in the Mets six-run fourth inning off Bronson Arroyo (1-1). Eric Young Jr. had three hits and two RBIs, and Andrew Brown drove in two. New York also got solid pitching, something thats been rare this season. Jenrry Mejia (2-0) tossed five effective innings before leaving with a torn blister, combining with Gonzalez Germen and Kyle Farnsworth on a three-hitter for a second straight decisive victory over Arizona. "It was a good win for us," Nieuwenhuis said. "Hopefully we can keep it going." The Diamondbacks had another awful night on the mound, losing their seventh straight home game and eighth in nine at Chase Field. Arroyo allowed 10 runs in less than four innings and Arizona has given up 38 — most of those by the starters — through the first five games of a homestand that ends Wednesday against the Mets. At 4-14, the Diamondbacks have matched the worst start in team history (1998). "Last year, it was the bullpen giving it up and this year its just the inverse," manager Kirk Gibson said. "That part is very frustrating." Mejia struggled with walks during his first two starts — nine in 11 innings — but was hiitting his spots against the Diamondbacks.dddddddddddd He was perfect through three innings and didnt allow a hit until Paul Goldschmidt sneaked a single inside third base with one out in the fourth. Mejia escaped a jam in the fifth inning and got some defensive help from Nieuwenhuis, who made a sliding catch in centre to rob Mark Trumbo of a hit. Mejia tore a blister on his right index finger and didnt come out for the sixth after allowing two hits. "Until the blister started to act up, he threw the ball very well," Collins said. "About the fifth inning, we knew the finger was getting hot and were hoping to get another 20 pitches out of him, but didnt get that." Arroyo got an extra day of rest between starts, but it didnt seem to do him much good. New York jumped on him from the start, stringing together three straight singles and scoring three runs in the first inning. Nieuwenhuis capped the outburst with a run-scoring single up the middle. It got much worse for Arroyo in the fourth. Nieuwenhuis added his pool-deck homer to right-centre and Young followed with a two-run single to left. New York scored another run on a single and error by centre fielder A.J. Pollock and went up 9-0 on Browns fielders choice. Arroyo allowed 10 runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings. "It was 3-0 after the first inning and thats exactly what we couldnt have on this ballclub right now," Arroyo said. "It just kills the morale of a team when youre losing constantly and giving up runs a lot, then you give up a three-spot early on. It just grew from there." About the only thing that went right for the Diamondbacks came in the fifth inning when Gibson challenged a close play at first and had it overturned on replay — with the score 9-0. Mejia got two weak groundouts with two on to end the inning. NOTES: Mets RF Curtis Granderson was out of the lineup after he injured his left forearm and ribs colliding with the outfield wall Monday night. He is day to day. ... New Yorks David Wright extended his hitting streak to seven games. ... Arizona RHP Brandon McCarthy, scheduled to start Wednesday, has a 1.16 ERA in four starts against NL East teams. ... Mets RHP Dillon Gee, who will start Wednesday, allowed four earned runs over five innings in his only start at Chase Field. ' ' '