BARCELONA, Spain - Athletic Bilbao strengthened its hold on fourth place in the Spanish league by winning 2-0 at Real Betis on Sunday after the bottom side had two players dismissed. Hayden Hurst Jersey . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. Seconds after Betis Ruben Castro was booked for diving in the area, Bilbao forward Iker Muniain scored from a spot kick in the 34th minute after Damien Perquis tripped Kike Sola from behind on the edge of the area. Another reckless tackle by Perquis earned him a second yellow card in the 41st to completely deflate the crowd at Benito Villamarin Stadium. Betis was left with nine men from the 58th when Lorenzo Reyes handled the ball after he had already been booked for arguing. Bilbao squandered several scoring chances until substitute Guillermo Fernandez headed in the first ball he touched in the 81st. Betis has won one game in the last 18 rounds despite having three different coaches this season. "It was an ugly game," said Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde. "My team pulled out a win thanks to the setbacks suffered by the other side. Playing against nine I still had the sensation that the game was evenly matched. Our forwards could have done a little more for us." Also, Valencia and Sevilla both won to move to within five points of sixth place and Spains last Europa League spot. Valencia needed an injury-time goal from 19-year-old defender Ruben Vezo in his first start to complete a 2-1 comeback win at home over a feisty Granada. Francisco "Piti" Medina put Granada ahead in the 47th, but as the visitors tired Valencia substitute Paco Alcacer tapped in Sofiane Feghoulis pass to level in the 64th. Valencia kept pressing and Vezo volleyed in a free kick headed on by a defender to claim the hard-fought win. Sevilla won 1-0 at Rayo Vallecano to end a six-game winless streak. After a drab first half by both sides, fullback Jorge "Coke" Andujar headed home Ivan Rakitics free kick to grab the 57th-minute winner at Vallecas Stadium. Unai Emerys team played the last seven minutes with 10 men after Vicente Iborra received his second booking for taking too long to leave the pitch after receiving medical assistance. Rayo remained in second-to-last place and five points from safety after conceding its league worst 59th goal in 25 games. "This was not a day to lose," Rayo defender Jose Castro said. John Brown Jersey . -- Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he tries to come back from the second major operation on his left shoulder. Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey . -- Orleans Darkwa ran in from 1 yard with 1:45 left, and the Miami Dolphins rallied from two scores down in the final minutes to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-20 on Saturday night. http://www.ravensrookiestore.com/Ravens-Jaleel-Scott-Jersey/ . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Colorado Avalanche, who were the surprise winners of the competitive Central Division last season. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Central GM: Joe Sakic Head Coach: Patrick Roy 2013-14: 52-22-8 (1st in Central) Playoffs: Lost in First Round Goals For: 245 (4th) Goals Against: 216 (T-14th) PP: 19.8% (5th) PK: 80.7% (24th) That was Then: Starting anew with Patrick Roy behind their bench, the Avalanche got off to a torrid start to the 2013-14 season, earning wins in 12 in their first 13 games. Led by their young core of Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan OReilly and rookie Nathan MacKinnon, along with strong goaltending from Semyon Varlamov, the Avalanche quickly went from second-last in the league a year earlier to a team to be feared. The Avalanche cooled in December going 5-9, including a season-worst four-game losing streak, which left the team at 24-15 entering the new year. From there, the Avalanche rediscovered their form and entered the Olympic break at 37-21. The Avalanche finished their season on a 7-1-2 run, allowing the team to edge the St. Louis Blues by point for first place in the Central Division. Duchene, despite missing 11 games with injury, led the Avalanche 70 points. Landeskog was second with 65, while OReilly and Mackinnon finished third and fourth with 64 and 63 points, respectively. OReilly led the Avs in goals with 28 and veteran centre Paul Stastny finished third on the team with 25 goals. In total, five forwards cracked the 20-goal plateau. Varlamov finished the regular season with a 41-14-6 record, posting a .927 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average. He finished second in the Vezina Trophy vote for the leagues top goaltender and fourth in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the play judged most valuable to his team. The Avalanche drew the division-rival Minnesota Wild in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite starting the series without the services of Duchene, who suffered a late season knee injury, the Avalanche jumped out a 2-0 series lead on home ice. However, the Wild also held their ground at the Xcel Energy Center, sending the series back to Colorado tied 2-2. The Avalanche won Game 5, in overtime but – despite Duchenes return – the Avalanche lost Game 6 convincingly, 5-2. In Game 7, the Avalanche had four one-goal leads erased before losing 5-4 in overtime, ending their hopes of winning their first playoff series since 2008. Stastny led the Avalanche in playoff goals with five, he also tied MacKinnon for the lead in points with 10. Varlamov posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA in the seven-game series. Scott Cullens Analytics Avalanche 2013-14 stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.95 2.05 9.6% .938 48.6% .750 21-41 2.52 2.67 8.0% .930 46.5% .619 42-62 3.05 2.81 9.2% .919 47.7% .690 63-82 2.75 2.55 8.5% .929 45.5% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8% .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Mediocre possession numbers were overwhelmed by great finishing offensively and superior goaltending. Games 21-41: Dodging bullets, with poor possession and declining scoring, yet pulled a favourable record. Games 42-62: Even with a slip in goaltending, the Avs scored at such a high rate that they offset their possession problems. Games 63-82: Above-average percentages carried the Avs to a strong finish, despite possession woes. Key 2014 Additions: RW Jarome p;Iginla, D Brad Stuart, C Daniel Briere, C Jesse Winchester Key 2014 Subtractions: RW PA Parenteau, C Paul Stastny This is Now: The Avalanche lost Stastny in free agency to the division-rival Blues, who were the only team to beat the Avs more than once last season (they earned three wins in four contests). Lamar Jackson Jersey. Despite losing Stastny, the Avalanche still boast one of the deepest centre groups in the league. MacKinnon, Duchene and OReilly can all take on top-six duties, while John Mitchell, Marc-Andre Cliche and off-season addition Daniel Briere fight for bottom-six roles. In all likelihood, the depth at centre forces the Avalanche to line up Ryan OReilly on the wing – as he did for the majority of last season - of the teams second line and Briere to the wing of the third. In his second year, MacKinnon may be tasked with taking on the role of the first-line centre. However, with the territory comes playing alongside Landeskog and free-agent signee Jarome Iginla, who scored 30 goals with the Bruins last season. If MacKinnon can make a seamless transition after opening last season as the third-line centre (before moving to the second line) and Iginla can mimic his success from Boston, the Avalanche offence could be stronger in 2014-15 than the year before. On defence, Erik Johnson and Jan Hejda are expected to form the Avalanches top pairing. Johnson led the defence with 39 points last season, while Tyson Barrie was second with 38 points and figures to round out the top-four with free agent signee Brad Stuart. Nate Guenin likely drops to the third pairing to play beside Nick Holden, who earned a three-year $4.95 million extension in the off-season after playing 54 games with the Avs in 2013-14. At goaltender, Varlamov is the undisputed starter, with trade-deadline acquisition Reto Berra assuming the back-up role. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Gabriel Landeskog Matt Duchene Ryan OReilly Alex Tanguay Nathan MacKinnon Jarome Iginla Jamie McGinn John Mitchell Daniel Briere Cody McLeod Jesse Winchester Maxime Talbot Patrick Bordeleau Joey Hishon Marc-Andre Cliche Andrew Agozzino Ben Street Troy Bourke Defence Left Right Jan Hejda Erik Johnson Nick Holden Tyson Barrie Brad Stuart Nate Guenin Ryan Wilson Zach Redmond Chris Bigras Stefan Elliott Duncan Siemens Bruno Gervais Goaltenders Semyon Varlamov Reto Berra Sami Aittokallio TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Conner Bleackley When it comes to Connor, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Hes productive in so many ways and that translates into having an influence in multiple areas of the game. Connor is smart and recognizes what is necessary at any given point and is capable of delivering. The styles of Duchene and MacKinnon differ from Ryan ORielly but in a group it makes the Avs very formidable. Connor will add strength in a similar manner. Fantasy - Scott Cullens Player to Watch Alex Tanguay Now 34-years-old, Tanguay was limited to just 16 games last season due to knee troubles, but he can still put up points and there is a good chance that hes still going to fit in a top-six role with Colorado. That alone offers up some intriguing possibilities, since the Avs have brilliant young forwards and a veteran winger, Jarome Iginla, with whom Tanguay has experienced some success in Calgary. Expectations have to be kept in check, given age and recent injury history, but Tanguay is a threat to put up 50-plus points if he can stay healthy. 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