nder Mike Smith returned after being sidelined for 12 games with a lower-body injury. Center Martin Hanz

The Brisbane Bullets ruined the Sydney Kings season-opener and capped a perfect start to their own NBL campaign with a tense 77-73 win on Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena.Brisbane led at every change, surviving Sydneys fourth-quarter fightback to secure their second victory of the weekend.Daniel Kickert led the Bullets with 17 points and Shaun Bruce and Tom Jervis added 12 apiece, while American forward Torrey Craig was a standout with nine points and 17 rebounds.Guard Kevin Lisch topped the Kings scoring with 20 points and forward Jeromie Hill had 14.The Bullets beat titleholders Perth on Thursday night and are back with a bang in the NBL after an eight-year absence.The Kings started strongly on Saturday and built an early lead, but that soon changed as they endured long periods of poor offensive execution throughout the first half.Kickert poured in nine of his teams first 11 points and the visitors were up 17-14 at quarter-time.The Bullets stretched the margin to eight before the Kings responded to be down 28-24, five minutes from half-time.Sydney got to within a point but Brisbane hit back to take a 38-34 half-time lead and were up by as many as 11 in the third period.Despite grabbing 21 rebounds to Brisbanes 36, the Kings found a way to stay in the contest and were down by six with a quarter to play.Lisch rose to the occasion, splashing a pair of three-point bombs to bring his side level.But the Bullets held their nerve down the stretch to claim a deserved win.The Kings have two games scheduled in round two, meeting the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong on Thursday night before hosting the Cairns Taipans on Saturday.Brisbanes next game is at home against the Adelaide 36ers next Sunday.Joe Mullen Penguins Jersey . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Joe Mullen Penguins Jersey . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/justin-schultz-jersey/ . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Paul Martin Penguins Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Bryan Trottier Penguins Jersey . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times.VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Amid speculation about his job security, Vancouver Canucks coach Willie Desjardins insists his future isnt his focus.I really dont worry about it, he said. The thing that bothers me is losing. (Being fired), I dont think about. That part, I cant control. The only thing I can control is how we play. Thats what I have to focus on.Accordingly, Desjardins was concentrating Wednesday on his struggling teams next opponent. The Canucks (6-10-1), who have lost 11 of their past 13 games, will host the Arizona Coyotes (5-9-1) on Thursday night at Rogers Arena.Theyve got some young talent with lots of jump, Desjardins said of the Coyotes following a brief practice. I think (Oliver) Ekman-Larssons one of the best defensemen in the league. Dave Tippett does a good job coaching. They dont give you a lot. Theyre pretty disciplined, pretty structured.Like the Canucks, the Coyotes have struggled for most of the season, especially on the road, and they are the only team with fewer points than the Canucks in NHL. But Desjardins wants to make sure that his club lets sleeping Desert Dogs lie.When you look at them, you see a real solid team, Desjardins said. You see a team thats hungry, thats looking for a win. You know that theyre going to come at you but that youve gotta be patient. You know if you open up, theyre going to capitalize on you. So weve gotta have lots of energy (Thursday), and weve gotta be hungry.The Canucks are looking for a better effort after losing 7-2 to the New York Rangers at home Tuesday night. Vancouver has scored first in only two games this season and has yet to hold a lead after the first period -- a trend the Canucks they hope to change Thursday.We cant put some wins together because were behind for the most part in games, captain Henrik Sedin said.Defenseman Erik Gudbranson added, Weve gotta come out and get that first one and then see how we play with the lead.The Canucks are also aiming to improve on a power play that has scored in just five of 53 chances in 17 games.Its been a real fine line between winning and losing for us, Sedin said. We know a power-play goal here or there is going to make a big difference for us.Many fans have become disenchanted with the Canucks lately, as demonstrated by empty seats on a nightly basis at Rogers Arena which, a few seasons ago, was sold out regularly. The losses appear to be wearing on Desjardins and the players, but they are striving to stick together during tumultuous times.Against the Rangers, the Canucks returned to their offensive struggles. More timely goals could fix many of their troubles, but they are not getting many from players other than Henrik and Daniel Sedin and third-year center Bo Horvat, who have five goals each and have accounted for 15 of the teams 35 goals.ddddddddddddVancouver needs some of its young players to do more offensively. But one offensively gifted youngster, sophomore winger Jake Virtanen, who has struggled to play his usual physical game, will be honing his skills in the minors for a while.Virtanen was sent to Utica of the AHL on Wednesday.The problem with Jake has always been (that) weve gotta do what we feel is the best, Desjardins said. He was (with the Canucks) last year. We felt it was better to stay with us than go to junior. We just felt that hed got what he could out of junior. We felt that he was better off to get what he could out of us, and this year we have the luxury that we can put him in the minors if we need to.Meanwhile, the Coyotes are also looking to develop more consistency, especially on the road, where they have won just two of nine games.I think were a good team, but right now were just losing too many battles and making too many little mistakes, winger Tobias Rieder said.Like the Canucks, the Coyotes are also looking for more offensive consistency, and they have a number of young players who are having difficulty finding their way in NHL. The Coyotes face a difficult test in Vancouver as they play the second of back-to-back games following a 2-1 overtime loss in Calgary on Wednesday.Were turning the puck over too much and bringing trouble on ourselves, not generating very much, and turnovers are making us play too much in our own end, Tippett said.The Coyotes received a boost Wednesday when goaltender Mike Smith returned after being sidelined for 12 games with a lower-body injury. Center Martin Hanzal, who was out since Nov. 1 with a lower-body injury, also returned against the Flames.Smith was really solid in his return here, Tippett said. Hanzal gave us some good minutes -- but we need to be better in a lot of areas.Ekman-Larsson missed part of the Wednesday game as he was checked for a possible concussion, but he returned and is all right, according to Tippett.Former Canucks winger Radim Vrbata, who was not re-signed because his offensive prowess hit the skids last season, will play his first game in Vancouver since rejoining the Coyotes for a third stint. He leads the Coyotes with six goals and shares the clubs points lead (11) with Max Domi. ' ' '