double play. The Cubs never looked back after Sweeneys two-o

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Calvin Pickard backstopped the Colorado Avalanche to their most complete victory of the season.The 22-year-old rookie keeps turning heads in the Avalanche dressing room, this time leading Colorado to a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.He deserves a lot of credit, Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. He competes hard out there. In the first he made three very good saves look pretty easy.Alex Tanguay scored a pair of goals to help Colorado snap its two-game skid. Afterward, he praised Pickard.Hes come here, hes battled and hes given us a chance every night to win, Tanguay said. Hes been nothing but spectacular.Colorado also got goals from Cody McLeod, John Mitchell and Erik Johnson. Mitchell and Tanguay added assists, and Jarome Iginla had three.Last-minute call-up Johan Larsson scored his first NHL goal for the Sabres, who had won six straight home games.Colorado has won its last eight against Buffalo dating to 2005, and jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Johnsons goal 2:23 into the game.Larsson nearly tied it when he got free in the slot, but his quick wrist shot was scooped by Pickard.The Sabres had several chances to tie the game during their first power play, but Pickard made a number of saves, including an in-close stop of Zemgus Girgensons.Im feeling comfortable, more and more so, said Pickard, who is 5-5-2. Its nice playing every game. I thought I had a good outing in Pittsburgh, too, and I just wanted to build off that.Colorado picked up a short-handed goal moments later when Ryan OReilly found McLeod on a 3-on-2 to make it 2-0 at 7:07.We skated, we moved the puck and we used our best tool, which is our speed, Tanguay said.It was Buffalos fifth short-handed goal allowed this season, tied for the highest total in the NHL.Colorado skated into the dressing room with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.Best first period weve had all year, Johnson said. Kind of, foot off the gas a little bit in the second.Thats when Pickard shined brightest, making 10 saves.When were playing with the lead all game, youre going to be called upon a few times each period and I just wanted to be solid for the guys, Pickard said.Colorado got its third goal 1:51 into the third when Iginla sent a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Tanguay, who beat a sliding Jhonas Enroth over the left shoulder.Mitchell beat Enroth between the legs at the 5:09 mark.Theyre a very skilled team, Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. If you give them a chance, theyre going to put them in.Larsson, who said he arrived from Rochester with two minutes left in warmups, one-timed Chris Stewarts pass into the net, ruining Pickards shutout hopes with 6:33 to play.Disappointed we couldnt get the shutout for Pickard. That stings a lot, but really good group effort, Johnson said.Nolan pulled Enroth with nearly four minutes remaining, and Buffalo drew a penalty with the man advantage. Pickard held strong, however, including a glove save on Tyler Ennis.Buffalo lost Patrick Kaleta in the first period and Tyler Myers in the second, finishing the game with 16 available skaters. Myers is questionable for Saturdays game in Boston, while Kaleta wont travel to Boston due to an illness.Enroth made 18 saves in the loss.NOTES: Buffalo had to call up Mikhail Grigorenko from Rochester on Saturday morning when Torrey Mitchell was deemed unfit to play, and then recalled Larsson just before game time after Matt Moulson fell ill. ... The Sabres went 0 for 4 on the power play. ... It was Larssons 34th NHL game. Hes played 33 with Buffalo and one with Minnesota. Dario Saric Jersey . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. Taj Gibson Jersey . The top-ranked Djokovic also beat Gael Monfils and then routed Roger Federer en route to his first Abu Dhabi title. "Its always great to win a title. This is the best way to start the 2012 season," Djokovic said. http://www.timberwolvesgear.com/authentic-gorgui-dieng-timberwolves-jersey/ . Messis 75th-minute goal answered some of the criticism the clubs all-time leading scorer had received for his lacklustre performances in the teams recent losses in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey final. Anthony Brown Jersey .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. Andrew Wiggins Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick.CHICAGO -- Washington Nationals starter Tanner Roark always will have good memories of his debut at Wrigley Field. His second visit, not so much. Roark (7-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings in a 7-2 setback in front of several friends and family members, as the Cubs snapped his personal streak of four consecutive victories on Friday. The loss took place 10 months after the University of Illinois product was credited for a victory in relief at Wrigley Field, the first appearance of his career there. "I pitched here last year, so I got all the jitters out when I saw everybody and (heard) everybody chanting my name out there in the bleachers," Roark said. "I got them all out then." Nine of the 10 hits Roark gave up were singles, including a half-dozen by the last four batters in the order. "I was base hit to death," he said. "They were squaring the ball up and hitting it right through the holes, so you know, theres nothing you can do about it. I get them again I believe on the Fourth of July, so Ill come back out and go get em then." The Nationals took the first two games of the four-game set. "The last couple of days with Doug (Fister) and Tanner, theyve put together some long at-bats," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "In that one long (fourth) inning for Tanner today and a couple long innings for Doug last night, they were grinding out at-bats on em. Its a credit to their hitters, too. We didnt get it done again today, but we get two (games) tomorrow to think about it." Catcher John Baker had three hits, a walk and four RBIs, while batterymate Jason Hammel continued his dominance of the Nationals with 6 1-3 innings of two-run ball. "(The players) have been developing a personality as a team," Cubs skipper Rick Renteria said. "Theyre having fun and getting to know eaach other, doing whatever it takes to play the game (the right way).dddddddddddd" A .160 hitter at game time, Baker capped his big day with a bases-loaded, three-run double off reliever Jerry Blevins in the seventh inning. The four RBIs doubled his season total to eight. He also had four RBIs against the Nationals on Sept. 4, 2009, in Washington. Chris Coghlan, Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Sweeney each had a pair of hits in the 13-hit attack. After Adam LaRoche launched a solo homer to right field that tied the score at 2-all in the fourth inning, Hammel mowed down the next 10 batters before Wilson Ramos singles with one out in the seventh inning. Reliever Brian Schlitter entered the game and induced Ian Desmond to bounce into an inning-ending double play. The Cubs never looked back after Sweeneys two-out, two-run single gave them a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. NOTES: Cubs OF Junior Lake was cleared by team physicians but did not play. He reluctantly left the series opener the previous night after a head-first collision with a steel door in right-centre field. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein said the organization would look into padding the doors for safety. ... Each team plans to use its so-called 26th man in the day-night doubleheader on Saturday -- rookie Dallas Beeler (0-0) for the Cubs in the opener and Blake Treinen (0-3) for the Nationals in the nightcap. Gio Gonzalez (4-4) will open for the visitors in the afternoon contest, while Jeff Samardzija (2-6) will get the ball for the home team in the second game. The Nationals are expected to promote LHP Xavier Cedeno from Triple-A Syracuse for the twin bill, while RHP Taylor Hill will move down to create a roster spot. ... The Nationals are hoping that OF Bryce Harper (left thumb surgery) will return to the parent club early next week. ' ' '