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ST. Kirk Cousins Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- The Phoenix Coyotes were worried that their reputation as a defensive team was in jeopardy. On Wednesday night, they took a big step toward getting it back. Radim Vrbata scored two goals and Thomas Greiss made 28 saves to lead the Coyotes over the Minnesota Wild 3-1. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Coyotes. The Wild have lost two straight and scored a total of one goal in that stretch. The Coyotes rank fourth in the league in goals per game, but theyd allowed 20 goals in their past five games before Wednesday. They dont have a shutout this season and hadnt allowed fewer than two goals in a game since Oct. 29. "We know we have to get back to playing a really tight defending game," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Our offence has been very good, that hasnt been an issue. But we have to defend better and tonight hopefully was a step in that direction." The Wild were playing their first game without leading scorer Zach Parise, who is expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks with a foot injury suffered on Monday in St. Louis. Minnesotas offence was sluggish for much of the game, especially in the first period when the Wild were outshot 12-5 and fell behind 1-0. The Wild struggled to adapt to new line combinations that were immediately juggled when centre Mikael Granlund left the game and did not return after taking a hard hit on his first shift. "It seems like every game right now weve got different guys going out with different guys. But theres no excuses," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "That game was still there for us but weve got to make sure were ready to start better, thats all." Mikkel Boedker put the Coyotes on top with his sixth goal of the season at 8:13 of the first. He picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and started a 2-on-1 break with linemate Mike Ribeiro. Boedker kept the puck and fired a shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom. That was almost all the cushion Greiss needed. Playing in just his sixth game of the season, he said he appreciated having an early lead to take the momentum and ease some of the pressure on him. "It was great," Greiss said. "We talked a little bit about getting the first goal and playing a solid defensive game. Thats what we did." Vrbata doubled the lead at 3:42 of the second period when he pounced on a pass from Tim Kennedy from behind the net and snapped the puck past Backstrom for his seventh of the season. Dany Heatley brought the Wild within a goal midway through the third period when he buried a rebound that Greiss didnt handle cleanly. Nino Niederreiter took a shot from the top of the slot that was tipped in front of Greiss. The puck bounced off his mask and fell to Heatley at the right post, where he got his fifth goal of the season. But that was the closest Minnesota would get. Vrbata added an empty-net goal on a power play with 22.9 seconds left to provide the final margin. "Its a start," Tippett said. "We played a solid road game. We came out and had a really good first period. We got up by one and had some chances to go farther than that. "We took a few unfortunate penalties in the second and let them get a little bit of momentum, but then we weathered the storm in the third and got a solid two points." Notes: Despite missing Parise, the Wild welcomed the return of two key players on Wednesday. D Keith Ballard had missed the past nine games with two broken ribs, while C Torrey Mitchell had missed three games with a lower-body injury. ... Phoenix is 6-0-2 in its past eight games in Minnesota. Authentic Jordan Reed Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Doug Williams Redskins Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. http:///...sen-Redskins-Jersey/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans.The Los Angeles Lakers hope to start the month of February on a good note when they open a three-game road trip tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Lakers will also visit Cleveland and Philadelphia, have lost four in a row on the road and are 8-18 as the guest this season. They are 3-12 on the road against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is mired in a six-game slide overall and dropped a 110-100 decision to the Charlotte Bobcats the last time out on Friday, when Pau Gasol finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. Nick Young added 21 off the bench and Jodie Meeks scored 19 points for the Lakers, who are only 3-18 in the last 21 games and shot 38.7 percent from the floor. "They just werent ready to play for whatever reason," said Los Angeles head coach Mike DAntoni. "Whether its the end of January, who knows, but its inexcusable." As has been the case almost all season, injuries are the main story for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant (knee) wont travel with the team on this trip and it was announced Gasol (groin) would also stay in LA for rehab. However, there is some good news as all three injured point guards, Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar, appear ready to return to the lineup. "Theyre all good," DAntoni said. "I think theyre all ready to go. Theres a possibility all three could play (at Minnesota)." Lakers center Chris&nbssp;Kaman is probable Tuesday because of a sore knee and he has missed the previous seven games. Authentic John Riggins Jersey. He might get the starting call with Gasol shelved, although Kaman has basically fallen out of the rotation. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have dropped two in a row and three of five games, including Saturdays 120-113 setback at Atlanta. Kevin Love pumped in 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, while Kevin Martin and J.J. Barea added 17 and 12 points, respectively, for the Timberwolves, who finished shooting 44 percent from the field. Barea was ejected with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul. "I didnt even know I had it (43 points) until I think Martin told me after the game. I was just trying to get us back in the game by any means," Love said. "Teammates set me up with a lot of good shots. A loss, especially right now, is tough." Love has posted three straight double-doubles and nine in the last 10 games, posting an average of 25.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in that time. Minnesota has dropped 11 straight in Atlanta and will visit Oklahoma City and New Orleans after hosting the Lakers. The TWolves, who are 13-9 in the Twin Cities, have split two meetings with Los Angeles this season and will host the Lakers on March 28. The Lakers have won 26 of the last 28 matchups with Minnesota and are unbeaten in 11 straight and 12 of 13 contests at the Target Center. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '