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DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche are off to a soaring start, even if they pretend theyre nothing more than an average team. Little mind games in order to keep winning them. "Were playing like were a .500 hockey team and not a 14-2 team. Thats the key," Matt Duchene said. "You stay grounded and you stay humble and hungry." Semyon Varlamov stopped 33 shots and Nick Holden scored his first NHL goal to break a second-period tie, lifting the Avalanche to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. Patrick Bordeleau, P.A. Parenteau and Gabriel Landeskog also added goals for the Avalanche, who are off to a franchise-best 14-2 start under new coach Patrick Roy. Before this season, the best mark through 16 games was 13-3 by the 1994-95 Quebec Nordiques, a season before the organization relocated to Denver. "Theyre one of the upper echelon teams, in regard to skating," Capitals forward Brooks Laich said. "They have a quick group." Not too bad in goaltending, either. Varlamov once again came up big against his former team, especially on a 5-on-3 early in the final period to preserve the lead. Varlamov also made 40 saves in a 5-1 win at Washington on Oct. 12. Asked why Varlamov seemed to play so well against Washington, coach Adam Oates said: "Hes been in a zone against everybody so far." The turning point of the game was early in the third period when Cory Sarich was called for hooking to give Washington, the top power play team in the league, a man advantage. And then the Avalanche were whistled for too many men on the ice, setting up a 5-on-3 situation for 56 seconds. But Varlamov turned back shot after shot, the crowd serenading him with "Varly, Varly" over and over. "The guys did an unbelievable job for me," Varlamov said. "This team, theyre unbelievable right now, on the (penalty kill) especially. I appreciate what theyre doing for me. We start this game very well, the guys give me confidence and scored a couple of good goals." Joel Ward had the lone goal for the Capitals as they lost for a second straight night. Alex Ovechkin thought he had a goal late in the third, but it was disallowed when replay showed he kicked it in with his left skate. "We played a decent hockey game," Oates said. "We let it get away at the end, but it was a decent game." Ward tied the game at 1 in the second period when a puck caromed off the boards on a faceoff and right to his stick. With no defenders near him, Ward faked Varlamov one way and then shot it in for his eighth goal of the season. Just 28 seconds later, Holden gave the Avalanche back the lead when the defenceman took a pass from Landeskog and lined a shot past a screened Braden Holtby. The Capitals received a scare late in the second when Ovechkin slipped while chasing a puck and crashed into the boards, with Jan Hejda falling on top of him. Ovechkin stayed down on the ice for several minutes, before skating to the bench and dabbing at his head with a towel. He also began yelling at the officials. "It was a trip. Hit my head in the board," Ovechkin said. "It was a clear two minutes (penalty) and a dangerous play." Hejda didnt quite see it that way. "He fell and then I fell over him," Hejda said. "This is an elite (player). I was going to step (on) the brakes." Colorado got on the board early in the opening period when Cody McLeod lined a backhand shot toward the goal that Bordeleau redirected past Holtby. The officials reviewed the play to see if Bordeleaus stick was below the level of the crossbar and then announced to the crowd the call on the ice stood. The Capitals struggled to generate much offence in the first period and didnt take their first shot until halfway through, when Ovechkin laced a slap shot that Varlamov turned aside. Roy has a good thing going in goal these days, with Varlamov and backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere both playing well. The duo entered the game with a league-best 1.79 goals-against average. "We trust our two goalies," Roy said. "We have a lot of confidence." NOTES: Unhappy with an offside call, the Capitals argued with officials and were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was served by F Jason Chimera. ... The Avalanche were without F Alex Tanguay (knee) and D Ryan Wilson (back). ... Colorado is 8-1 against the Eastern Conference this season. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China . It looked like being another miserable day for Moyes when Ashley Westwood put Villa in front from a 13th-minute free kick. But Rooney headed United level seven minutes later, and the striker netted his 16th of the season for the struggling champions from the penalty spot before halftime. http://www.clearancenfljerseys.com/. Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist as the New York Islanders earned a 2-1 win over Ottawa Wednesday, leaving the Senators five points out of a playoff spot with just five games to play and four teams ahead of them. Discount NFL Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51.The American League East has suddenly tightened up again. With Thursday nights loss at Baltimore coupled with the Yankees win at Seattle, the Jays lead atop the division is down to three-and-a-half games on the Os and the Yanks. Its way too early to get a read on how this thing might shake down by the end of September, but it would only seem fitting if on the 25th anniversary of Rogers Center the Blue Jays and Orioles would be fighting it out for first. They meet in the final three games of the regular season at the Dome on September 26-28. The Blue Jays and Orioles have a bit of history in these kinds of things. In 1983, the Blue Jays had their first ever winning season in their seventh year of existence. With Bobby Cox at the helm, they were actually in first place in the American League East at the All-Star game by one game on Baltimore. The Jays record was 43-33 when they were rained out on July 4, the day before the All-Star break. Baltimore was 42-34 through the 4th of July. Baltimore took off in the second half, though, and won the division with a 98-64 record and with Cal Ripken Jr. being named the Most Valuable Player. The Orioles felt 1983 was destined to be their year, since they had finished just one game back of division leading Milwaukee the year before. As for the Jays, they won their first division title two years later in 1985. Flash forward to 1989, the year Rogers Centre opened. The Blue Jays chalked up a couple of firsts that season. On April 16, Kelly Gruber became the first Blue Jays player to hit for the cycle, when he turned the trick against Kansas City in a 15-8 Jays victory. On June 9 at Fenway, the Jays put together the most incredible comeback in franchise history. Down 10-0 to the Red Sox, they battled all the way back, thanks in large part to an Ernie Whitt grand slam and sent the game into extra innings. Then, Junior Felix slugged the game winning homer in a 13-11 victory in the 12th inning. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Jays held a one-game lead on the Orioles heading into a three game series at Rogers Center. On Friday night, it was a classic pitchers duel. Lefty Jeff Ballard started for the Orioles and Todd Stottlemyer for the Jays. But the real hero on this night for the Jays was reliever Jim Acker, who took over in the 6th inning and pitched four shutout frames giving up only two hits. The Jays ultimately pulled out a 2-1 victory in 11 innings to clinch at least a tie for the division crown. On Saturday, it appeared for the better part of the game that the Orioles were going to force a meaningful game on Sunday. They got Jimmy Key out of the game in four innings and took a 3-1 lead to the bottom of the 8th.dddddddddddd The Jays, who only had four hits on the day, bunched a couple in the bottom of the 8th and scored three runs to ultimately win it 4-3 to wrap up their second division title. For the second day in a row, the bullpen saved the day. 30-year-old right hander Frank Wills pitched four innings of one-hit relief, and then Tom Henke, who got his eigth win in relief on Friday, picked up his 20th save in this one. So the Jays, who started the season at Exhibition Stadium and got off to a 12-24 start under Jimy Williams, finished the season winning the East under Cito Gaston. The Jays finished the 1989 season with 89 victories -- the same number as they did in 1983 when they wound up fourth -- nine games behind the division-winning Orioles. So, if the Jays and Orioles meet on the final weekend of this season, it will be a sort of historical rubber match or completion of the trilogy 25 years after Rogers Center opened. Just when you think the Yankees might be slipping out of contention, they turn around and win three straight at Seattle. Not only that, Derek Jeter is finally starting to hit; banging out seven hits in the series. Whats even more impressive is the Yankees may have uncovered a diamond in the rough in 24-year-old right hander Chase Whitley. A 15th round draft pick in 2010, hes 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA with the "big club." He has not walked a batter in the last 114 men he has faced. What are the odds that the hottest rookie pitcher in the National League would also be named Chase? 26-year-old right hander Chase Anderson has won all five of his starts for Arizona and has a 3.14 ERA. He doesnt walk too many either; just seven, in fact, to 22 strike outs. He was a 9th round pick in 2009. The Tigers Max Scherzer won his eigth game Thursday night in an 8-2 victory at Chicago over the White Sox. But the thing that blew me away was that it was the first complete game of Scherzers career. We used to take CGs for granted, but it took Scherzer, who already has a Cy Young Award to his credit, until his 179th career start to get it done. That was the longest stretch any starter had gone without a complete game since 1900. The two active pitchers who had gone the longest now without a complete game, according to ESPN, are Scherzers teammate Rick Porcello (146 starts) and the Orioles Bud Norris (139 starts). There could be some history made Friday night at Philadelphia. Phils shortstop Jimmy Rollins needs only two more hits to break Hall of Famer Mike Schmidts franchise record of 2,234 hits. Jake Arrieta will be on the mound for the Cubs. ' ' '