Luxembourg with first-half goals from Alexander Samedov,

WINNIPEG -- Blake Wheeler shared the joy Wednesday night. "Ive told you guys a million times, I almost get a bigger joy out of seeing other guys score than scoring myself," he said after putting away the winner at 1:42 of overtime to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. Earlier, he set up Andrew Ladds second goal of the night and Eric Tangradis second goal of the season. In all, Wheeler finished the night with his 35th assist and team-leading 24th goal, cementing his position as the Jets scoring leader with 59 points. Evander Kane also scored for Winnipeg. It was a big night for the Jets as well (32-30-9), as they claimed a little more ground in their uphill climb to the playoffs. They still sit two points behind Dallas and four points behind Phoenix, which now holds the eighth and final wild-card berth. For Colorado (44-20-6), the loss let the Chicago Blackhawks move past them and claim sole possession of second spot in the Central Division after a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Blues. Winnipegs playoff hopes remain a longshot, given the teams it will face as it closes out the season, but it was a big lift nonetheless to take the season series against Colorado 3-2. "It was a big win for us, especially for the goals we gave up," said Ladd. "Were not that bad of a team. Weve played some good hockey of late and we havent got the results." As for his own game, it was also a good night with his 20th and 21st goals of the season. "First one, we had good transition out of our end and I got the puck and a little space and got a good shot off. And the second one, Wheels made a great play driving down and I found some open space and put the puck on the net again." Colorado coach Patrick Roy gave Wheeler credit for his patience in holding the puck and waiting for the right moment to score the winner. "Both teams had good chances," said Roy after his second loss in a row. His homecoming to Montreal ended in a 6-3 loss to the Canadiens Tuesday night. "At the end they made a great play. Wheeler I thought made a really good play and scored a nice goal." It was the fourth time out of the five games theyve played this season that the Jets and Avalanche couldnt settle it in regulation time. Ryan OReilly, Gabriel Landeskog, Nick Holden and Cody McLeod scored for Colorado. It also was rookie goaltender Reto Berras first start since he was acquired by Colorado from the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. Landeskog said Berra deserved credit. "I think he made some huge saves in the third when we really needed it the most," said Landeskog, who scored the tying goal for Colorado at the end of the first period to make it 2-2. "I remember my first game with Colorado, certainly a lot of nerves." It didnt help Winnipegs chances that defenceman Zach Bogosian joined the lengthy scratch list, which already included Dustin Byfuglien and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who are listed as day to day. Replacement Paul Postma was grabbing a cup of coffee when he got word he had to play. He responded with two assists, including one on Wheelers overtime goal. "Its not too hard to get pumped up in front of this crowd," he said. The Avalanche had their own no-shows as Paul Stastny was out after playing in Montreal on Tuesday following a four-game absence due to injury. They also lost forward John Mitchell in Montreal. But injuries and tough schedules arent uncommon at this time of year and no one was using them as an excuse. "Every teams playing a tough schedule right now and March and Aprils going to be tough for everybody," said Landeskog. Notes: Despite the disparity in their NHL rankings, the Jets and Avalanche went into Wednesdays game with two wins each in their season series, although Colorado had the only win in regulation time. Even the regulation win was decided by one goal. Custom Brooklyn Nets Jerseys . - A Tuesday funeral is planned in Toronto for 20-year-old Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford. Rodions Kurucs Jersey . -- Hal Steinbrenner says Alex Rodriguez is "a great player" and "obviously an asset," but the New York Yankees managing general partner wouldnt discuss the third basemans possible return to the team following a season-long suspension. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Joe-Harris-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States made lighter work of her day as she beat 2009 champion and Swiss wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3. Two seeds fell: No. 4 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium lost to Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-4, 6-2, and No. Brooklyn Nets Jerseys . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Taurean Prince Jersey . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization.LISBON, Portugal -- Russia virtually assured its qualification for the World Cup with a 4-0 rout of Luxembourg on Friday that gave Fabio Capellos team a three-point lead at the top of Group F after Israel grabbed a late equalizer for a 1-1 draw against Portugal. Portugal could still pull level with Russia in next weeks last qualifiers but the Russians have scored seven more goals than the Portuguese, giving them the decisive edge. The draw in Lisbon ensured Portugal at least a place in the playoff between the best eight second-place teams in the nine European qualifying groups. Bulgarias 2-1 defeat against Armenia in Group B meant Portugal has enough points for a playoff berth. Russia powered past Luxembourg with first-half goals from Alexander Samedov, Victor Faizulin and Denis Glushakov. Alexander Kerzhakov got another in the 73rd. "We have played a very good match, on high speed and with great desire," Russia ccoach Fabio Capello said.dddddddddddd"Weve reached our goal." Portugal, a 2012 European Championship semifinalist, failed to impress against Israel in what has been a lacklustre qualifying campaign, with Cristiano Ronaldo producing a muted performance in the Portuguese capital. A blunder by goalkeeper Rui Patricio cost Portugal victory as his 85th-minute clearance went straight to Ben Basat, who cancelled out Ricardo Costas 27th-minute strike. The game was tense to the end as a below-par Portuguese team held onto its slender lead. Portugals qualification bid went off track earlier in the campaign with a 1-1 home draw against Northern Ireland and a 3-3- draw in Israel, and Fridays lukewarm match was reminiscent of those displays. The Portuguese defence was depleted by the absence of three regular starters, but its attack was the weakest point and the team struggled to find its rhythm going forward. ' ' '