e Sparks dynamic frontcourt tandem of Ogwumike and

DENVER -- Michael Hutchinson was all warmed up by the time the Colorado Avalanche finally shook off the rust from a long layoff.At that point, nothing was getting by him.Hutchinson stopped 37 shots for his third career NHL shutout, Shawn Matthias scored in the second period against his former team and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Avalanche 1-0 on Friday night.Early on, the Jets were more energetic despite playing their third game in four days, including a 4-1 win over Dallas the night before.Meanwhile, Colorado looked a bit out of sync after a week break. The Avalanche got their offense working in the third period, outshooting the Jets 20-4. But they couldnt solve Hutchinson as he recorded his first shutout since Jan. 15, 2015, against Columbus.We knew with them having those days off, theres a chance they could come out with a little bit of a slower start, Hutchinson said. With us playing last night, we knew it was important to get a jump on them early. We did exactly what we had to do.The Avalanche pulled Semyon Varlamov with around 1:22 remaining, but couldnt capitalize.Varlamov stopped 20 shots, his only mistake not sliding over in time to stop Matthias wrist shot.Colorado went on the power play late in the final period and had a golden chance with Hutchinson down on the ice. But Rene Bourques shot from out front appeared to hit forward Brandon Tanev and sail wide of the net.Hutchinson also came up big midway through the third period by stopping Joe Colborne, who coasted in all alone and tried to thread the puck between Hutchinsons legs.This one stinks, Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said. We really wanted this one. Especially after coming off an extended break.Simply ran into a hot goaltender.Their goalie stole one for them, forward Nathan MacKinnon succinctly said.Colorados alternate blue sweater hasnt exactly been lucky. The team is 5-9-1 since the jerseys debut last season.Jarome Iginla remains in a goal-scoring funk. He had a point-blank shot moments into the third period and was thwarted by Hutchinson. Iginla has just one goal so far this season. Hes 16th on the leagues all-time goal-scoring list.Matthias gave the Jets 1-0 lead at 8:29 of the second period when he guided in a perfect cross-ice pass from Joel Armia. Matthias played for the Avalanche last season after being acquired in a February deal with Toronto. He had six goals in 20 games for Colorado.Nice to score against your former team, Matthias said. Theres no animosity toward any old team. Just playing hard for the Jets.Winnipeg nearly had a power-play goal midway through the first period when Mark Scheifele poked in a shot between the pads of Varlamov. But the officials blew the whistle just before the puck rolled into the net.Scheifele pleaded to no avail.Patrik Laine, the No. 2 overall pick in June who already has six goals, unleashed a few quality shots only to be turned back by Varlamov. Laine is good friends with Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, who was making his season debut after being called up from San Antonio of the American Hockey League.They pair helped Team Finland to the 2016 world junior hockey championship. They also practiced together this summer.It will be fun, Rantanen said of the friendly rival.Rantanen was the 10th overall pick in 2015. His locker once belonged to Avalanche standout Milan Hejduk.Maybe Mikko will take the great energy that was in that stall, Landeskog cracked.Game notes Jets D Dustin Byfuglien recorded the 800th penalty minute of his career with a tripping call in the second period. He also was called for another penalty in the closing seconds. ... F Drew Stafford missed a second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... D Fedor Tyutin (groin) sat out a second straight game. ... F John Mitchell (hip) made his season debut.UP NEXTJets: Host Buffalo on Sunday.Avalanche: At Arizona on Saturday in their second back-to-back set this season. Shawn Green Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Justin Turner Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/ . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Cheap Dodgers Jerseys . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Maury Wills Dodgers Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. The post-Olympics run to the WNBA playoffs was anything but kind to Los Angeles, but those struggles easily could be forgotten it the team achieves success in the postseason.The Sparks begin the playoffs Wednesday at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif., with the opener a best-of-five semifinal series against the soaring Chicago Sky.The Sparks, the No. 2 overall seed in the postseason after a 26-8 regular season, went 5-5 after the league took a month-long break for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but won their final two games.I think Coach (Brian Agler) understands we have to get better but also prepare our bodies physically, said Los Angeles forward Nneka Ogwumike, who on Tuesday was selected the WNBAs Most Valuable Player. Theres more focus on small things, and I wouldnt say that were going as hard as we were before.Ogwumike shot a WNBA-best 66.5 percent from the field this season, the second-highest mark of all time, and ranked third in the league in scoring (a career-high 19.7 points per game) and rebounding (9.1 boards per game, also a career high).She recorded the second-most double-doubles in the league (18) and set WNBA records for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12, against the Dallas Wings on June 11).The Sparks won their first 11 games, the second-longest winning streak to open a season in WNBA history, and began 20-1 to equal the best-ever start.Los Angeles hasnt played a game since posting a regular-season-ending victory over the San Antonio Stars on Sept. 16. The Sparks received a double bye into the semifinals.Its real strangge, real strange, Agler said about the layoff in the playoffs.dddddddddddd But well be ready this time around. We have to be.Conversely, Chicago, by way of the No. 4 seed, had only a first-round bye, then beat the Atlanta Dream 108-98 in a single-game elimination playoff round on Sunday to reach the semifinals.The availability of Chicago forward Elena Delle Donne, who has been sidelined since Sept. 12 after undergoing thumb surgery, could be a huge factor in this series. The Sky hopes to have Delle Donne back for at least some of the series to help counter the Sparks dynamic frontcourt tandem of Ogwumike and former MVP Candace Parker.Chicago is 4-2 without Delle Donne, surprising many who thought the team would fade without its star in the lineup.Everybody has written us off, and I dont think anybody believed that we were going to be able win games without her except us, Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot said after the win over Atlanta. The biggest factor is we believe that we can do it and we all know that we had to step up. We have enough on this team to get it done.The Sky went 7-3 over their final 10 regular-season games. Chicago led the league in scoring at 90.1 points per contest despite playing its final five games without Delle Donne.Chicago beat Atlanta in the second round of the playoffs thanks to a balanced attack in which seven players scored at least eight points.Los Angeles swept the three-game regular-season series with the Sky, winning twice in the Chicago. ' ' '