(Sports Network) - Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault feels his team is better with defenseman Sami Salo in the lineup. Hell put that theory to the test when the blueliner makes his return to the ice this evening against the Edmonton Oilers. Salo has missed the Canucks past six games due to a concussion suffered on a low hit by the Bruins Brad Marchand back on Jan. 7, a hit that earned Marchand a five-game suspension following a major call for clipping. Vancouver went a respectable 3-2-1 without Salo, but was in danger of losing three in a row during the regular season for the first time since last January prior to Saturdays 4-3 victory over San Jose. The return of Salo should bring stability to the Canucks game on the ice. "When hes in our lineup, our record is much more on the positive side than the negative side," said Vigneault. "That has something to do with him being able to contribute both offensively and defensively. [Hes] such a smart player both with and without the puck." Without Salo, the Canucks gutted out a win over the Sharks thanks to a pair of goals from Cody Hodgson. He has seven goals and seven assists over his past 16 games and ranks fourth among all rookies with 13 goals and 29 points. His effort helped Vancouver win for the first time on its six-game homestand after opening things up with loss to the Ducks and Kings. "It was a great win for us," Hodgson said following his first career two-goal game. "We havent been playing the way we wanted to the last couple of games." Ryan Kesler and David Booth both scored and Roberto Luongo made 23 saves to reach a personal milestone. He surpassed Kirk McLean (211) for the most wins in franchise history. Vancouver leads the Northwest Division by eight points over Colorado, but sits five back of Detroit for the lead in both the Western Conference and NHL overall standings. Edmonton ranks near the bottom of the standings with 40 points, but can win consecutive games tonight for the first time since Nov. 22-25 this evening thanks to last nights 2-1 shootout win over San Jose. Taylor Hall had the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout and Devan Dubnyk made 44 saves and another three stops in the tiebreaker to help the Oilers snap a three-game slide with just their third win in 19 contests. "It feels great right now, every win feels good," said Dubnyk. "We need to start having this feeling more and change things in here. But right now well take every win we can get." After being added to the All-Star roster as an injury replacement, Jordan Eberle scored in regulation for Edmonton. He leads the club with 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points and scored for the first time in three games since returning from a knee injury. The Oilers have lost five straight and 12 of their past 13 on the road. They split a pair of home games with the Canucks back in October, but dropped a 5-3 decision in Vancouver in the previous meeting on Dec. 26. The Canucks have won six of their past nine versus the Oilers overall as well as six of seven, eight of 10 and nine of the past 12 encounters in Vancouver.

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He made progress, but Johnson said Friday that he would sit out another week. cheap jerseys free shipping . The skier from Gatineau, Que., captured the bronze medal in a mens freestyle aerials World Cup event on an artificial ramp Saturday.CLEVELAND -- Another qualified coaching candidate has eluded the Browns. Ken Whisenhunts decision to accept Tennessees opening leaves Cleveland as one of just three NFL franchises still searching for a head coach. Whisenhunt, who guided Arizona to a Super Bowl, came close to being hired by the Browns last year and interviewed with the team on Saturday. San Diegos loss on Sunday in the AFC playoffs freed up teams to make offers to Whisenhunt and he chose the Titans after it appeared he was headed to Detroit. Its not known if the Browns tried to outbid the Titans for the well-regarded 51-year-old. With Whisenhunt no longer in the mix, the Browns moved into the third week of their quest to replace Rob Chudzinski without any clear front-runner, but with a new former NFL head coach on their list. The team has interviewed at least five known candidates and the Browns reportedly met Monday with former Titans coach Mike Munchak, also in consideration with the Lions. The 53-year-old Munchak, a Hall of Fame lineman, went 22-26 in three seasons with the Titans, who fired him on Jan. 4, ending his 30-plus-years association with the franchise. Clevelands degree of interest in Munchak isnt known since the team is not commenting on any interviews and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner have maintained a low profile since dumping Chudzinski after one season. And while there may not be a current favourite to take over as Clevelands seventh full-time coach since 1999, there are signs that Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase could be the Browns top choice. The 35-year-old Gase was the first candidate contacted by the Browns, but he informed them -- along with the Minnesota Vikings -- that he wanted to wait until after the playoffs to be considered. "I told both teams that were interested in me that I appreciated it and I was going to wait until after our season had concluded," Gase said on Jan. 3. "They were great about it. They said they appreciated me being up front and honest about it, and I thought that was the best decision for whaat we are trying to accomplish with our team.dddddddddddd" Its not known if Gase has agreed to an interview with either team. NFL rules prohibit teams from offering jobs to assistant coaches who are still in the playoffs. Gases decision to delay any interviews raised some flags about whether hes actually ready to be a head coach. But as long as hes paired with quarterback Peyton Manning, Gases profile will continue to grow and hell undoubtedly be coveted if he waits another year. Following Denvers win on Sunday over San Diego, Manning praised Gase during his postgame news conference for his play calling in helping the Broncos advance to Sundays AFC Championship against New England. In his first season as Denvers offensive co-ordinator, the Broncos scored an NFL record 606 points and led the league with 457.3 yards per game and 340.3 yards passing. His resume is impressive, but even if the Browns meet with Gase, its not a given he will be hired. Hes never been a head coach, and Haslam and Banner said they were determined to find a "strong winner who knows how to win football games" as they began looking for their second coach in just over a year. If the Browns chose to wait on Gase, they run the risk of the coaching talent pool drying up and being in a desperate situation should he turn them down. Cleveland has waited until after the Super Bowl before. Following the 2004 season, the Browns hired Romeo Crennel in the hours after the Super Bowl. The Browns are already losing a public relations war as the search has dragged on. After New England offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration for Clevelands opening last week, it heightened the perception that Cleveland is not an attractive job. It hasnt helped that some national reports have described the Browns situation as "toxic" and "radioactive." Haslam and Banner have also interviewed Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn, Arizona defensive co-ordinator Todd Bowles and Green Bay quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo. ' ' '