The Calgary Flames couldnt extend their shutout streak into a new month but proved capable enough at both ends of the ice to move to the brink of a season-high win streak. Paco Alcacer Jersey . The Flames try to capture a fourth consecutive victory and give coach Bob Hartley his 400th on Thursday night against a Colorado Avalanche team thats expected to have goaltender Semyon Varlamov back. Calgary (16-8-2) gave up its first goal in nearly 149 minutes in Tuesdays opening period against Arizona but Josh Jooris first career hat trick kept the Flames rolling with a 5-2 victory. Jiri Hudler had two assists, giving him 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his last seven games. Linemate Johnny Gaudreau was also credited with a pair of assists. Hudler could have a prime opportunity for some more points, as he has six goals and nine assists in his last seven games against Colorado. Great game. Those three - Huds, Johnny and Joor - they have quite the chemistry going. Its fun. Theyre producing and on top of this, theyre so reliable in the three zones. Theyre dominant right now, said Hartley, who has coached in 12 NHL seasons and is in his third with Calgary. Theyre exciting to watch. Theyre a big, big part of our team. Varlamov will try to help stop that production in his first game back from a groin injury. The Colorado netminder hasnt played since Nov. 15, but coach Patrick Roy indicated he could get plenty of playing time in upcoming games should he stay healthy. Varlamov is facing Calgary for the first time since a 4-3 road loss March 27, 2013. Hes given up four goals in each of his last two matchups. Im excited to get back. Ive been missing (playing) hockey. Nobody wants to be injured, especially in this time of year, Varlamov said. Im ready to play. I feel really good. I dont have any problems in my groin anymore. The pain is gone. Im ready to play. Colorado (9-11-5) split six games during his absence. Calvin Pickard started the final three games before being sent back to the minors, and couldnt slow down Montreal in a 4-3 home loss Monday. The Avalanche blew a pair of one-goal leads in the second period then gave up the tiebreaking score with 6:06 remaining. Were not going to quit, veteran forward Daniel Briere said after scoring his fourth goal in six games. We have to go right back at it, get a win in Calgary and give ourselves another shot. Colorado, which seeks a fourth straight road win, has won six of its last nine games against Calgary but lost 4-3 in the most recent meeting Jan. 6. It has won three of four at the Saddledome. Karri Ramo, 5-0-0 with a 1.59 goals-against average in his last five games, is expected to make a fourth consecutive start in net for the Flames. Ramo is 1-3-0 with a 2.79 GAA in four career matchups with Colorado and earned the win in January. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had three goals and an assist in three games against Calgary last season, but has one goal in the past 12 contests. He does have eight assists in that stretch. Flames Projected Lines Forwards Glencross-Monahan-Jones Gaudreau-Jooris-Hudler Ferland-Granlund-Byron Bollig-Bouma-Baertschi Defence Giordano-Brodie Russell-Wideman Smid-Engelland Goalies Ramo-starting Hiller Avalanche Lines Forwards Tanguay - Duchene - OReilly Landeskog - MacKinnon - Iginla Briere - Talbot - Vincour Holden - Sgarbossa - McLeod Defence Heads - Johnson Guenin - Barrie Stollery - Redmond Starting Goaltender Varlamov Avalanche (23PTS) at Flames (36PTS) - 9PM COL was 2-1-0 vs CGY last season COL has gone 3-1-0 past 4 games in CGY CGY (16-8-2): won 3 straight, 2 shutouts in that span, 4/4 on PK 6-1-0 past 7 at home, 4 or more GF in 5 of the games, 7/27 on PP 29th ranked home PK (70.4%) 10-1-2 when scoring first Hudler (5G, 5A) 5 game PT streak COL (9-11-5): won 3 straight on the road, each game decided by 1G, 6/6 on PK 3 or more GA in 8 of 12 road games Iginla 2G, 3A past 5GP, 2nd game in CGY since being traded Tanguay (1G, 4A) 3 game PT streak Ousmane Dembele Jersey . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders. Lionel Messi Jersey . -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy. http://www.fcbarcelonapro.com/ . 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.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Even with standout point guard Damian Lillard experiencing a rare off game, the Portland Trail Blazers still had enough offence to beat the Sacramento Kings. LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 21 points, and the Blazers beat the Kings 96-85 on Saturday night for their fourth win in five games. Lillard, last years rookie of the year, had four points on 1-of-15 shooting. He did contribute six rebounds and six assists. "It will happen occasionally, it was one of those nights when the shots didnt go in," said Lillard, who scored 22 points in Fridays win at home against the Kings. "We have a deeper team this year and guys can pick up the slack. Thats what makes us a better team." Portlands offence flowed well enough that it seemed at times that Lillards scoring wasnt even missed. The Blazers continued their early-season trend of shooting well from long distance, making 9 of 20 attempts from 3-point range and only had 12 turnovers. One of those players making shots was Matthews, who led the Blazers in the third quarter. Matthews made three 3s and had 19 of his 21 points in the second half. "Wes is playing at a high energy, particularly on offence," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "Hes shooting the ball well and picking up where he left off last year before he got hurt." Robin Lopez had 12 points and 14 rebounds and Nicolas Batum also scored 12 points to help the Blazers sweep the home-and-home series with the Kings. Portland beat the Kings at home, 104-91 on Friday night. Its been a troubling start to the season for the Kings, who have lost five straight since beating Denver in the season-opener. The statistic that stood out in the latest loss was getting outrebounded by the Blazers 52-33. "Its not about back-to-backs. In this league you cant be too inconsistent; you need to be a pro for 48 minutes," King guard Greivis Vasquez said. "Youve got to hate losing, You cant accept losing." DeMarcus Cousins had 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and also grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Kings. Cousins had 35 points in Friday nights game in Portland. Ben McLemore scored 13 points and Isaiah Thomas had 12 points for the Kings, who had only 54 points through three quarters before outscoring Portland 31-27 in the fourth. Kings rookie head coach Michael Malone has bemoaned the teams lack of defensive effort this seasoon and pointed to rebounding as a key element in yet another loss. Ivan Rakitic Jersey. Malone said after the game that lineup changes could take place for Wednesdays game against Brooklyn. "Im embarrassed. Every night its the same thing," Malone said. "We finally get a night where we defend at a decent level, but we cant rebound. We got outworked on the glass. I think weve got a lot of guys who just care about themselves on this team. Changes will be made before we play on Wednesday. Portland had a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter. However, Sacramento rallied as a three-point play by Cousins and a fast-break layup by Jimmer Fredette cut the deficit to 85-77 with 4:29 remaining. Batum ended a string of bad possessions by the Blazers, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to push the lead to 92-82. Following a quiet first half, it was Matthews doing the delivering in the third quarter. He made two 3s and scored 12 points in helping the Portland outscore Sacramento 24-16 and take a 69-54 lead into the fourth. "Everybody talks about LaMarcus and Lillard, but Wesley Matthews is the guy who has been playing very well for them," Malone said. "He shoots phenomenal from the field and the 3-point line." The Kings missed numerous shots in the third when they shot 8 for 23 and were outscored 17-8 in the final five-plus minutes of the period. Aldridge made an assortment of medium-range jumpers and had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first half for the Blazers, who led 45-38. "With a back to back I knew I would be tired down the stretch, so I wanted to come out aggressive early and I got rolling a bit," Aldridge said. Cousins picked up two early fouls and went to the bench with 6:27 left in the first quarter. He played only 10 first-half minutes. NOTES: Kings reserve guard Fredette entered the game late in the first quarter and again in the fourth. He had four points in 19 minutes while playing in only his second game this season. His only other playing time was three minutes in reserve role against Golden State. ... Thomas Robinson, the Kings top draft pick in 2012, is now a second-year reserve forward for the Blazers and is playing for his third NBA team. He had five points in 12 minutes. . Kings starting forward John Salmons played 24 minutes, took two shots and was scoreless. . Both Mo Williams and Dorelll Wright played well off the Portland bench and scored eight points each. 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