DENVER -- Antoine Vermette made his 700th game special. Pascal Siakam Jersey . Vermette ended up a goal short of his second career hat trick, Thomas Greiss stopped 29 shots in an emergency start and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Tuesday night. Jordan Szwarz also had a goal for the Coyotes, who won for just the second time in five games. Phoenix has struggled of late, going 3-5-2 in its past 10 games to slip to ninth in the Western Conference. Tuesdays win pulled the Coyotes within a point of Colorado. Vermette outscored the Avalanche on his own with two goals in a span of 7 minutes, 2 seconds to mark his milestone game. "Good timing," he said of his two goals. "If it happens this way, Ill take it." Patrick Bordeleau scored his fourth goal of the season and goalie Semyon Varlamov had 22 saves for the Avalanche, who have lost three of their past four. Despite a strong start to the season, Colorado is eighth in the Western Conference and has struggled to score goals lately. The Avalanche have just 15 in their past eight games. "We are going to have to find better ways to score goals," coach Patrick Roy said. "We are going to have to drive that net a little more. We are going to spend more time in front and might have to take more good shots. It might have to be ugly goals before the confidence comes back." After a scoreless first half of the game, the goals came quickly. Vermette got the first one when he scored on a give-and-go with defenceman Keith Yandle at 8:31 of the second period. "These guys make some great plays," Vermette said. "Yands on the first goal, great pass, good feed on his backhand." Szwarz made it 2-0 a little more than three minutes later when he scored on Jeff Halperns rebound. Colorado got back in the game briefly with a little help from the Coyotes. Bordeleau charged at defenceman Michael Stone, whose pass from behind the net clipped off Bordeleau and hit the back of Greiss skate and into the net. "I just left it," Greiss said. "I didnt see the other guy coming from the other side, but it just bounced off my skate and went in." It was the only blemish for Greiss, who woke up Tuesday not expecting to play but was told he would start when Mike Smith became ill in the morning. Greiss responded with another solid performance against Colorado, and is 4-0 with a shutout against the Avalanche. "(Smith) was struggling this morning with illness and just felt like there was no use putting him in if hes not 100 per cent," coach Dave Tippett said. "Greiss went and played a great game for us." His teammates helped him out by restoring the two-goal lead. After Bordeleau cut the lead in half, Vermette quickly responded with his ninth goal when he scored off Oliver Ekman-Larssons rebound 1:05 later. "That was one you hate to give up, kind of a fluky one, but I like the way our guys stayed with it," Tippett said. Colorado had opportunities to take the early lead, but Greiss was sharp. He stopped centres Paul Stastny and Maxime Talbot close in and defenceman Andre Benoit on a breakaway. "We arent scoring enough goals," Stastny said. "Our guys have to do more to put goals on the board. Plain and simple." The Avalanche couldnt mount much of a rally early in the third. They had just five shots in the first 13 minutes of the period before putting pressure on Greiss. Varlamov came off for an extra skater in the final minute, but Colorado managed just one more shot. "Their goalie made some great saves" Roy said. "I think we need a bit of confidence offensively. The chances are there, its just a matter of time before they go in. During that time were going to have to find other ways to score." Notes: Vermettes only hat trick was April 3, 2008, when he was playing for Ottawa. ... Coyotes RW Shane Doan (illness) missed his second straight game. ... Avalanche C Alex Tanguay had a setback in his return from a knee injury and will likely miss more time. He was expected to return this weekend, but a hip injury will keep him out longer. ... Phoenix D Zbynek Michalek returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence because of a lower-body injury. Wholesale Raptors Jerseys . -- Arkansas didnt need a spectacular dunk to beat No. Tracy McGrady Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. http://www.cheapraptorsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-norman-powell-jersey . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime.DENVER -- Pitching well since coming back last month from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, Gavin Floyd cemented his return with the only missing element -- a win. Floyd pitched effectively into the seventh inning for his first win in more than two years, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Monday night. "Even though Ive felt good and felt like Ive been pitching really well, its nice to get that first one," said Floyd (1-2), who allowed only one earned run for the third time in his seven starts. "I felt like I mixed up all my pitches and kept them off balance." He even threw manager Fredi Gonzalez for a loop when he asked him for the lineup card after the game as a keepsake. Gonzalez said he didnt realize at first that it was his first win as a Brave and his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery. "I thought he was 3-0, 4-0, thats how well hes pitched," Gonzalez said. "But its his first win in two years. Good for him. It was a great outing." Floyd, who was limited to five starts last season while with the Chicago White Sox because of the elbow injury, allowed one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings in picking up his first victory since beating Cleveland on Oct. 3, 2012. Signed by Atlanta as a free agent last December, Floyd snapped a career-long six-game losing streaking dating to April 2013. "Just for a keepsake," Floyd said of his request for the lineup card, which Gonzalez honoured. "Its a new chapter with this team and its exciting to me, the first win coming back from Tommy John. Im just thankful and hopefully get on a roll." Chris Johnson had three hits, including two RBI singles, to help the Braves beat the Rockies for the 15th time in 18 games since 2012. Evan Gattis had an RBI groundout and singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games. "Its nice to get back and get in that big part of the field and stay up the middle and have my bat be short to the ball," Johnson said. "It was good to give Gavin that cushion because thats all he needed." Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his 17th save in 20 chances. Christian Bergman, called up earlier Monday from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill in for the injured Jordan Lyles (broken left hand), allowed two runs and five hits in six innings in his major league debut. OOriginally a 24th-round draft pick out of the University of California Irvine in 2010, Bergman (0-1) struck out four and walked two in a solid outing that included singling in the third for his first major league hit. Cheap Swingman Raptors Jerseys. "Overall, it went pretty well," Bergman said. "The first two innings, the nerves were there. I was able to overcome that and settle in the last two innings. The only thing that would have made it better is if we came out with a win." The Braves got to him for their first two runs in the fourth with B.J. Upton beating out a slow roller toward third base leading off the inning for Atlantas first hit. Upton stole second, and after Freddie Freeman walked, went to third on a deep flyout by Justin Upton before scoring on Gattis grounder. Johnson followed with an RBI single to centre. Corey Dickerson homered off Floyd leading off the seventh. Floyd retired the next two batters but walked D.J. LeMahieu and was relieved by Luis Avilan. Pinch-hitter Brandon Barnes doubled but LeMahieu was stranded at third when Avilan induced an inning-ending groundout by Charlie Blackmon. The Braves got a run back in the eighth on Johnsons second run-scoring single. Before the game, the Rockies placed Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder fracture. He was injured diving for a ground ball at third base last Thursday against Arizona. Cuddyer said after the game doctors told him the injury could take six weeks to heal. "It was pretty painful the past few days," Cuddyer said. "Finishing that game (Thursday) was extremely painful and now we know why." NOTES: Braves RHP Jordan Walden, placed on the 15-day DL May 10 because of a strained left hamstring, pitched a scoreless inning Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett in his second rehab outing. ... The Braves play 19 of their 28 games in June on the road. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor (2-4) opposes RHP Juan Nicasio (5-4) in the second of the four-game series between the teams on Tuesday. ... The Rockies have not yet announced a replacement for RHP Eddie Butler, who was scratched from Wednesdays scheduled start after going on the 15-day DL with rotator cuff inflammation. ... Bergman was the fourth Rockies pitcher to make his major league debut this season. The others were Butler, Chris Martin and Tommy Kahnle. 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