DENVER -- Maxime Talbot was simply looking to help kill a penalty. That he scored a short-handed goal in the process, well, the Colorado Avalanche certainly wont argue. Talbot broke a second-period tie, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots to lead the Avalanche to a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. "Every time you get a goal on a PK its always huge," said Talbot, who has scored 16 short-handed goals. Tyson Barrie, Ryan OReilly and Matt Duchene also scored for the Avalanche, who bounced back from an 8-2 loss to the Oilers two weeks ago in Edmonton. That lopsided loss was on their mind. "We knew what happened last time when we played there. We came ready," Talbot said. Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had goals for the Oilers, who finished their road swing 0-4 and were outscored 14-4. They also were without Sam Gagner after he was ejected in the first period when he knocked down Paul Stastny with a stick to the face. That was a sensitive subject after the game. Oilers coach Dallas Eakins really didnt think Gagner did anything that warranted an ejection. "I thought it was by accident when that stick came up," Eakins said. "I thought you could see it immediately, when the guy went down, Gags was concerned. When you mean to do it, you skate away with a smirk on your face. "All I was looking for from the official was the explanation. ... Suddenly, everything changed after the Jumbotron showed it." Edmonton pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk for an extra skater with 1:53 remaining, but couldnt score the equalizer. Duchene added an empty-net goal with 1.1 seconds remaining. He also had two assists. Talbot scored the winner with 1:32 remaining in the second period with the Oilers on the power play. Edmonton turned over the puck, Marc-Andre Cliche carried it up the ice, and then fed it to Talbot, who slid a backhanded shot past Dubnyk. "The short-handed goal, its frustrating," Eakins said. "Youve been waiting the whole game for a power play. The power play not only goes out and gives them a 2-on-1, the next unit goes out and gives them a breakaway. The whole bench is shaking their head. Its disgusting." Varlamov made it hold up throughout the third period, and in the process vanquished some demons against Edmonton after being rocked for eight goals on Dec. 5 at Rexall Place. "Oh yeah. It was a nightmare, especially for me," Varlamov said of his last encounter with the Oilers. Edmonton took a 2-1 lead at 12:10 of the second period when Nugent-Hopkins sent a wrist shot past Varlamov. It didnt last long as OReilly tied it by tapping in a pass from rookie Nathan MacKinnon. Duchene also had an assist on the play, his second of the night. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in five games. Asked before the game about his recent scoring spree, Duchene shrugged and said, "I just got back to doing what I was doing before I got hurt." Duchene missed a few games with an oblique injury in late November and then had a virus that zapped his strength. He finally feels back at full strength, he said. "When it goes in, it goes in," Duchene said. "When it doesnt, it doesnt, and thats hockey. You just want to keep it going." Barrie scored on a 5-on-3 power play early in the second period, courtesy of Gagners crosscheck and an unsportsmanlike penalty against Hall. Gagner and Stastny were battling after a faceoff when Gagner used both hands to shove his stick into Stastnys face. Stastny stayed down on the ice for a moment before heading over to the bench, where the trainers appeared to examine his nose. Gagner was assessed a major penalty and sent to the locker room. Hall drew an unsportsmanlike penalty at the end of the period. "Taylor Hall did not say one thing to that referee," Eakins said. "Another player said it that was going down the hallway, and it was nothing terrible. "To light up a guy, to put you down 5-on-3, I came out at the start of the period, after a cooling off period, as were supposed to do as coaches, and was basically told by the ref to ... I cant say what he said to me. Just looking for simple explanations but couldnt get them." NOTES: Oilers D Corey Potter finished his two-game suspension for boarding Anaheim F Nick Bonino over the weekend. He is eligible to play Saturday against St. Louis. ... Hall and Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and an assist. Ray Bourque Jersey . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. David Pastrnak Jersey . After not scoring 40 points in the opening quarter in the last five seasons, the Rockets have done it five times this season and twice in the last three games. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/brad-marchand-hockey-jersey/ . 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Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan.PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe has undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Suns termed Fridays surgery by team doctor Thomas Carter a success. No timetable was given for Bledsoes return but the team said in a news release that he "will pursue a possible return to action during the second half" of the season. Bledsoe was having the finest season of his career after being acquired by the Suns from the Los Angeles Clippers in the off-season, averaging 18 points and 5.8 assists per game. He and Goran Dragic formed the double-point guard backcourt that had been the catalyst of the Suns surprising start to the season. This is the second time in a little over three years that the 24-year-old player has undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the same knee. The first surgery was performed Oct. 7, 2011, during the NBA lockout of that season. The Suns, who were playing at Memphis on Friday night, are one of the NBAs most surprising teams with a 21-13 record. They are 16-8 with Bledsoe and 5-5 without him. He missed six games earlier this season with a bruised shin and has been sidelined the last four with what the team initially said was a sprained right knee. The injury puts more pressure on Dragic, who is averaging 19.1 points and 5.9 assists per game. To bolster the depleted backcourt, Phoenix signed Leandro Barbosa to a 10-day contract this week. The 31-year-old Brazilian, who also is coming off knee surgery, had hiis best NBA seasons with the Suns, including winning the leagues Sixth Man award in 2007 after averaging 18 points a game.dddddddddddd Gerald Green moves into the starting lineup in Bledsoes absence. Green, who made the winning shot in Wednesday nights victory at Minnesota, was acquired, along with centre Miles Plumlee, in a trade that sent Luis Scola to Indiana. "Its tough," Green told azcentral sports at the teams Friday shootaround in Memphis. "You lose a player like that, playing at the high level hes been playing at, its going to be tough. This team is made for the next-man-up mentality." Bledsoes offence, particularly his lane penetration, has been a critical part of his success, but his defence probably will be more sorely missed. "Guys are going to have to step it up," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek told azcentral sports. "Its unfortunate that hes going to miss some games but I think the more theyll get used to the rotation, hopefully thatll make us better." The injury comes at a tricky juncture in Bledsoes career financially. He will become a restricted free agent at the end of this season and, while the Suns have indicated they would match any offer for him, its possible that two knee surgeries in his first four NBA seasons might diminish his value, at least somewhat. The teams Memphis stop is the third on a five-game road trip. Phoenix split the first two on the trip and is 2-2 since Bledsoes knee injury. ' ' '