d in just five games last season before a lingering left knee in

Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork. Frank Thomas White Sox Jersey .com) - Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger is expected to make his season debut on Friday after missing the teams first 25 games with a left calf strain. Granger appeared in just five games last season before a lingering left knee injury required season-ending surgery. While attempting a comeback in early October, Granger pulled a calf in the same left leg. "Theres no way to simulate game intensity," Indiana head coach Frank Vogel said of Grangers return to the court. "Theres going to be an adjustment period while he gets used to that." Granger, selected 17th overall by the Pacers in 2005, has averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 515 games (423 starts) over eight NBA seasons, all in Indiana. The 30-year-old swingman will make his first regular-season appearance since March 3 when the 20-5 Pacers host Houston on Friday.Avisail Garcia Jersey .Va. -- Drew Brees stood on the sideline throughout the Saints first scrimmage of training camp on Saturday, resting a strained abdominal muscle on his left side and likely watching with envy as his backups cashed in on the big-play potential of rookie receiver Brandin Cooks. Luke Appling White Sox Jersey .C. -- Major League Soccers Vancouver Whitecaps and the City of New Westminster have signed a memorandum of understanding towards bringing a United Soccer Leagues Pro franchise to the British Columbia city.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Minnesota Wild were reeling. The Phoenix Coyotes were rolling. Then the teams met Saturday night and everything turned around. Zach Parise scored two of Minnesotas three third-period goals and the Wild rallied to beat the Coyotes 3-1 on Saturday night in a game with important playoff implications. "We need to use this as a game we can kind of springboard something off of," Minnesota coach Mike Yeo said. "Weve had enough games where there have been some bad feelings afterward. Lets use this as one that hopefully we can build something off of." Phoenix nursed a 1-0 lead through two periods on Mikkel Boedkers early power-play goal, but the Coyotes went 24 minutes, 28 seconds without a shot. After giving up five goals in each of its previous two games, Minnesotas defence was outstanding with Ilya Bryzgalov in net. Parise tied it from the top of the circle off a faceoff 8:03 into the final period, and then came Jared Spurgeons slap shot from the top of the right circle with 7:03 to play. Parise added an empty-net goal in the final minute. The Coyotes would have moved ahead of Minnesota into seventh with a victory." "We cant let them come out in the third and let them score two and an empty-net goal," Boedker said. "Thats not how we do it around here, and obviously this was a good opportunity for us to jump up to seventh, but thats the way it goes." The Wild pulled three points ahead of Phoenix for the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference. The Coyotes are just a point ahead of Dallas for the No. 8 spot. The Stars won at St. Louis 4-2 Saturday. "Its going to be like that," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "It is why you cant get too high right now and you cant get too low. ... Its like a playoff series. You forget the one you just played and move on whether you won or lost." Minnesotas win also clinched a playoff berth for the Chicago Blackhhawks, the defending Stanley Cup champions. Alexei Ramirez White Sox Replic. The Wild won for only the second time in six games and fourth time in 12 games. Phoenix, just back from a three-game trip east, lost for just the third time in eight games. Bryzgalov, 3-0-2 as a starter since being acquired by the Wild in a trade deadline deal from Edmonton, had 21 saves for Minnesota. "A lot of this goes to Bryz. Its 1-0 and he makes and unbelievable glove save in the second period and keeps it at 1-0," Yeo said. "Thats an important one." Thomas Greiss had 27 for Phoenix, without their usual goalie Mike Smith due to injury. Just 2:28 into the game, Minnesota was penalized for too many men on the ice. Forty-eight seconds later, Shane Doans close-range shot deflected off Boedkers leg into the net, the power-play goal giving Phoenix a quick 1-0 lead. It was Boedkers team-high eighth first-period goal of the season and his 19th overall. Each team also killed a penalty in the second period. The Coyotes didnt get a shot from the time Doan missed with 7:49 to play in the second period until Radim Vrbadas with 1:56 left in the game. Minnesota finally tied it off a face off on a shot by Parise from the top of the circle and it was 1-1 with 11:57 to play. It was a set play, Parise said. "Weve tried that before," he said. "Its just never worked." Spurgeons powerful slap shot sailed past Greiss high into the net to put the Wild ahead. Doan disputed stats on the long span without a Phoenix shot, blaming it on the scorer. "It wasnt that long between shots," Doan said. "The guy just doesnt keep track very well." The Wild had three penalty kills after the Coyotes power play goal. Notes: The Wild won the season series 2-1 and would have the tiebreaker. ... The Coyotes are 13-5-0 when Boedker scores a goal. ... Minnesota didnt have a power play until there was 5:17 left in the second period. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '