WINNIPEG -- Al Montoya spent 2013 as Winnipegs backup goaltender, but hes making a strong push for the starting job in the second half of the season. Montoya made 27 saves for the shutout as the Jets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Tuesday. Keaton Ellerby, Jacob Trouba and Anthony Peluso were the goal scorers as Montoya picked up his second shutout of the season and the Jets won their third straight game, matching their season-high. "For me its just about doing the right things in practice and working hard," said Montoya, who didnt offer an opinion on whether he deserved No. 1 status. The netminder won his sixth consecutive decision, and upped his record to 8-2-1. It was Montoyas second straight start for the Jets after coming on in relief of regular starter Ondrej Pavelec in the first period of a game last week against Minnesota. "Im fully aware of what Al Montoyas doing and how hes playing," said Jets coach Claude Noel. "He played very well again tonight. Youve got to give him full credit. You cant lose sight of the fact that Pavelecs our starting goalie." Sabres backup Jhonas Enroth got his 12th start of the season, and handed the Jets (19-18-5) the lead when a weak point shot from Ellerby snuck past his blocker in the first period. "I saw it all the way," Enroth said. "He literally threw a curveball at me. It was a knuckle puck that dipped right in front of me, and I just got a piece of it." The Sabres (11-25-4) thought they had tied the game when Marcus Foligno banged the puck past Montoya, but the referees ruled the net was dislodged before the puck went in. Video review was inconclusive, so the call on the ice stood. "If that goes our way its a different kind of game," said Sabres forward Drew Stafford, who knocked the net off. Trouba, the rookie defenceman, one-timed a Chris Thorburn pass to beat Enroth at 13:06 of the second period for his third goal of the season. Peluso added an empty-net goal with 1:28 remaining. The Jets have said theyll need to string together more than just a three-game streak to make a push for a Western Conference playoff spot. "I think every team struggles with consistency," Trouba said. "Its part of the game, and its what youre striving for." Enroth, who finished with 23 saves on 25 shots, hasnt had much help from his teammates this season. The Sabres have scored just 16 goals in his 12 starts. Buffalo failed to score on four power plays, while the Jets were blanked all three times they had the man advantage. While Montoyas US$601,000 salary is $3.3 million less than Pavelecs, his play could soon force Noel to re-evaluate the way he splits his goalies workloads. Pavelec is 11-16-4, with a .902 save percentage, while Montoya increased his save percentage to .934. After the game Noel said goalies, like special teams units, get hot and cold, and that the Jets would let things play out. The Sabres, owners of the NHLs worst record, had earned points in seven of their previous nine games, including a win against the Jets. That wasnt Winnipegs only loss against teams near the bottom of the standings. The Jets had been facing criticism for losses to Edmonton, Calgary and Florida, and vowed before the game that they wouldnt be taking their opponent lightly. "Youve got to come ready to play every game," Trouba said. "Theres no bad teams in this league. Everybodys got good players." Notes: Buffalo forward Ville Leino, who was shaken up against Washington on Sunday, was in the Sabres lineup but left after just three first-period shifts with a lower-body injury. a Jets forward Thorburn played in his 500th career game. a Winnipeg forward Blake Wheelers 10 goals in December were second only to Chicagos Patrick Sharp, who had 12. 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Durant had 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and made the go-ahead foul shots in overtime to lift the Thunder past the Wizards 106-105. John Wall missed a driving layup attempt at the buzzer for Washington, which was seeking its third straight win. SAN DIEGO -- Tim Lincecum doesnt pitch like the two-time Cy Young award winner from five years ago. Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old. After throwing a no-hitter against San Diego 11 days ago, Lincecum took a shutout into the seventh inning Sunday to lead the Giants to a 5-3 win over the Padres. Lincecum (8-5) extended his scoreless streak to 23 1-3 innings before Brooks Conrad hit a solo homer in the seventh to knock him out of the game. The streak started with his second career no-hitter against San Diego on June 25. Lincecum followed that with eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over St. Louis on Tuesday. Although this is not the overpowering Lincecum who won the Cy Young in consecutive years, the results are impressive. "Im not going to overpower teams with my stuff," Lincecum said. "Im just going to have to mix my pitches and locations. Im doing a good job of that. Im not missing in big spots with pitches." He allowed one run on three hits, walked four and struck out six. Lincecum has won all three starts this season against San Diego and improved his mark against the Padres to 16-6 in 29 career starts. Lincecum threw his first no-hitter at San Diego on July 13, 2013. "Timmys just been on a good roll," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "How poised hes been, how easy his delivery has been." The Giants have been down this road before with Lincecum since he began struggling after his last Cy Young season and lacked the consistency that had marked the early part of his career. Bochy thinks this recent stretch may last. "Hes reinvented himself," Bochy said. "I think he has a better idea of what he wants to do as far as pitching. Hes become more of a pitcher. It was pure stuff early on in his career. Hes gotten more cerebral with the pitching side of it." Lincecum also believes he may be able to sustain his most recent success as compared to other stretches when it didnt last. "Its just a feeling I have right now," he said. "I look for consistency and this is about as consistent as I have been in the last few years. Hopeefully, this is the start of something good.dddddddddddd" The Giants, who had dropped 18 of 22 games after they lost the opener Friday, won two straight to win only their second series in nearly a month. Brandon Belt drove in two runs for San Francisco and Hunter Pence had three hits, extending his season-best hitting streak to 11 games, and scored three runs. Rookie Joe Panik and Michael Morse each had an RBI. Three relievers combined with Lincecum on a four-hitter. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his third save in six chances. The Padres did not get their first hit off Lincecum until there were two outs in the fourth. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer, his seventh, off former closer Sergio Romo in the eighth inning to cut the Giants lead to 5-3. Rookie Jessie Hahn (4-2) lost his four-start winning streak, allowing three runs on five hits over seven innings in his sixth major league start. The left-hander struck out five and walked two. "In the early innings, they were sitting on my curveball, so I had to make some adjustments," Hahn said. Hahn retired 11 straight batters after he allowed Morses RBI single to fall behind 3-0 in the third. "The second half of his outing was outstanding," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I was really impressed with how Jesse hung in there." Belt singled in a run in the first and had a sacrifice fly in San Franciscos two-run eighth. NOTES: Lincecums career best for scoreless innings is 29 in 2009. ... Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval, who left Saturday nights game with a left elbow bruise after he was hit while swinging at a pitch, did not play. ... The Giants 5-3 win Saturday night in 10 innings was just the clubs third victory since moving to San Francisco in 1958 in which the team won a game with a game-tying homer in the ninth inning and a game-winning home run in the 10th, according to information provided to the Giants by the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Giants RHP Ryan Vogelsong (5-5, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to face As RHP Jesse Chavez (6-5, 3.23) in the opener of a three-game series at Oakland on Monday. ... The Padres travel to Colorado with RHP Ian Kennedy (6-9, 3.87) going against Rockies LHP Tyler Matzek (1-2, 4.25) in the opener of a three-game set. ' ' '