BARCELONA, Spain -- Alexis Sanchez netted his first hat trick for Barcelona to spark its 4-0 win over Elche at Camp Nou on Sunday, setting up a highly anticipated showdown with Atletico Madrid next week between the top two teams in the Spanish league. With Lionel Messi watching from the stands and Neymar waiting in the dugout, Barcelona turned to Alexis and its core of Spain internationals for a second straight victory without its star forwards on either side of the two-week winter break. Alexis opened the scoring in the seventh minute and struck twice more in the 63rd and 69th after Pedro Rodriguez had doubled the advantage and Xavi Hernandez had missed a penalty kick. "The holidays were good for me," said Alexis, who also credited first-year coach Gerardo Martino for improving his scoring rate. "I think Martino gave me the confidence I needed as a player," Alexis told GOL TV. Barcelonas victory was its ninth in as many league games at home this season, and it remained tied on points with Atletico atop the standings. The pressure is now on Real Madrid come Monday when it hosts Celta Vigo trailing the pacesetting pair by eight points. Alexis and Pedro lead the team with 11 goals each in league play, tying them as the leagues fourth-highest scorers this campaign. Both players were given ovations when substituted late, with Neymar coming on for the final minutes. Martino said he was as impressed by Alexis treble as anyone else, especially with his last goal from a free kick. "Alexis takes free kicks well in practice," Martino said. "When Leo, Xavi, Cesc or Neymar are playing, they almost never let him take one. One time he sent a free kick into the wall and we all thought it was his last. I told the bench that as a joke before he took todays kick and he ended up scoring it." Elsewhere, Real Sociedad downed Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in an entertaining Basque Country derby to close to just one point of its rivals in fourth place and Spains last Champions League spot. Carlos Bacca scored one goal and set up two more to help Sevilla beat Getafe 3-0 at home, provisionally lifting the club into sixth place behind Sociedad with its fifth victory in a six-game unbeaten streak in the league. Osasuna edged Espanyol 1-0 in Pamplona thanks to Alvaro Cejudos 33rd-minute goal to escape the relegation zone. Espanyol coach Javier Aguirre was expelled from the dugout in the second half, apparently for arguing with the referee. Messi tore his left hamstring on Nov. 11 and only returned to training with Barcelona this week, having spent time in Argentina doing rehab. He was left off the squad for Sundays game and Martino will have to decide if he brings him back against Getafe on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey to get him up to speed before the big trip to Atletico next Sunday. "Messi is fine physically and in good spirits," Martino said. "Whether he plays or not depends on his mentality, on whether he has gotten over the fear of the injury. Maybe we should have a little more patience (with him)." Alexis charged behind his marker to meet Jordi Albas cross from the left and volley it into the corner of the net to get Barcelona rolling. Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes looked a tad rusty in his first action in six weeks returning from injury in the 14th when Yiadom Boakye blasted the ball off the post, but he wasnt tested again after Pedro made it 2-0 two minutes later. Pedro followed up his hat trick at Getafe in the last round by meeting Cesc Fabregas weighted pass behind the defence, then used one touch to round goalkeeper Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez before sliding the ball inside the near post. Xavi, also back from injury, wasted penalty three minutes after halftime when he sent his spot kick wide after Fabregas had been fouled in the area by Elches Ionut Sapunaru. But Pedro took Andres Iniestas through ball and squared for Alexis to fire into the open net in the 63rd. Moments later Alexis earned his free kick from a foul outside the box that the Chile forward promptly curved over the defensive wall with a right-footed strike. The games only negative for Barcelona was defender Marc Bartra apparently hurting his leg late on. Sociedad took control of the back-and-forth match at Anoeta Stadium when Antoine Griezmann followed up his own rebound from long range for this 12th league goal of the season two minutes before halftime. Bilbao sought the equalizer but it was Sociedads Ruben Pardo who capped the victory in added time. Air Max 90 Gray Black . Nick Holden scored two goals and had an assist and the Avalanche held off the Nashville Predators 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory. Air Max 90 2019 Wholesale . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-essential-cheap.html . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. Cheap Air Max 90 Mens .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center. Air Max 90 Leather Iron Bronze . A wide-eyed 18-year-old visiting North America for only the second time in his young life, Caboclo immediately noticed the "big tower" his new home is best known for.The Minnesota Wild hope to push the Western Conference series to the limit on tonight when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 from Xcel Energy Center. The Wild entered this best-of-seven series as heavy underdogs against the defending Stanley Cup champions and fell behind 2-0 in Games 1 and 2 in Chicago before evening the set at 2-2 on home ice. The Blackhawks, however, regained the upper hand in the series with a victory in Sundays Game 5 and will try to punch another ticket to the Western Conference finals tonight. You can catch all the action live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. A victory tonight would give the Blackhawks, who also won the Cup in 2010, their fourth trip to the third round in six seasons. Chicago, of course, is trying to become the first team to win consecutive Stanley Cup titles since Detroit pulled off the repeat in 1997 and 98. Chicago posted a 2-1 decision in the Windy City to grab a 3-2 lead. Jonathan Toews registered the winning goal early in the third period and Corey Crawford stopped 27 shots to put the Blackhawks one win away from the West finals. Bryan Bickell also scored and Patrick Sharp contributed a pair of assists for the Blackhawks. "The whole game, the whole series has been very tight," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought we showed more determination in the puck area tonight." In order to end the series in six games, the Blackhawks will have to become the first road team in this postseason to win at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota is 5-0 in St. Paul in the 2014 playoffs and last lost a postseason game on home ice when Chicago won Game 4 of last springs opening-round series. The Blackhawks went on to win that set with a Game 5 victory on home ice. "We definitely would like to finish it there," Chicago forward Marian Hossa said of Game 6. "We know how hard it is to play in their building and we know we have to be better than we were in the last three games." If Minnesota is able to stay perfect at home on Tuesdday, the clubs will meet Thursday at the United Center for a decisive Game 7.dddddddddddd Erik Haula picked up the lone tally for the Wild on Sunday, while Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves in defeat. "We had a pretty good start, first period, but then I thought we got soft in our game," Wild head coach Mike Yeo said. Minnesota grabbed a 1-0 lead on Haulas goal with 3:27 left in the first, but Bickell tied it with a power-play goal around the midway point of the second period. The score stayed 1-1 until Chicagos captain delivered the eventual game-winner early in the third period. Chicago took a 2-1 lead with 4:33 played in the third. Hossa kept control of the puck behind the Minnesota cage and drifted from the right side back to the left before dishing into the circle for Sharp. His try to the net was furthered by Hossa, then Toews fended off a Wild checker at the right post and backhanded the rebound home. Crawford backed up the tally by stopping all 14 Minnesota shots in the final 20 minutes. Bryzgalov was called to the bench with 1:47 on the clock, and Crawford endured some close calls on crease rushes by the visitors before the buzzer. "It (stinks) to lose a game like this, and obviously when you lose, youre frustrated, youre mad," Yeo said. "But I think theres been enough in this series where we should feel confident still. That said, we also recognize that wed better be ready." Minnesota dressed defenseman Skip Prosser in place of Keith Ballard, who departed Game 4 with an upper-body injury after being checked from behind by Blackhawks forward Brandon Bollig. Ballard is questionable for Game 6, as is forward Matt Moulson, who sat out the last two games due to an unspecified lower-body injury. Bollig sat out the first of his two-game suspension levied on Saturday and will complete the ban tonight. Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw missed a fourth straight game Sunday with a lower-body injury he suffered in the series opener. He expects to sit out again on Tuesday. ' ' '