FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Hydro Flask Kinder . - Vince Wilfork advised and encouraged teammates on the sideline during last years playoffs.Not exactly where the five-time Pro Bowler wanted to be, but a torn right Achilles tendon kept him from clogging the middle for the New England Patriots.The defensive tackle is back doing that this season, ready for the post-season after playing in all 16 games for the AFCs top-seeded team.I worked my tail off just to get back and play football like I know how to play, and I never take anything for granted, Wilfork said. Its fun to come to work with the group of guys that I have in this locker room.He missed just six games in his first nine seasons and often occupied two blockers, opening space for teammates to stop ball carriers. But he played in only four last season.As a rookie in 2004, he played every game and was part of a team that won the Patriots third NFL championship in four years. But since, theyve lost the two Super Bowls theyve reached.They might have reached a third if Wilfork had been healthy for the Patriots 26-16 loss to the Denver Broncos in last years AFC championship game. He still tried to contribute while watching.When I was coming off the field he would say, all right, theyre doing this and you go back out there and do this, said defensive tackle Sealver Siliga, a midseason pickup last year and a backup this season.Of course, Wilfork would much rather be on the field tackling runners.Thats where hell be Jan. 10 when the Patriots host Indianapolis, Cincinnati or Baltimore in an AFC divisional playoff game.Every season means a lot to me, Wilfork said. The passion I have for the game, it means a lot just being where I came from, especially last year.His presence was critical this season in victories against two of the worst teams when he made plays rare for defensive tackles.With just over five minutes left in a 17-16 win over the New York Jets, Wilfork tipped a 52-yard field goal attempt by Nick Folk in the 15th game of the season.And in a 16-9 victory in the third game, Oakland had the ball at the Patriots 12 with 59 seconds left. Thats when Wilfork intercepted Derek Carrs pass.That led safety Devin McCourty, who worked out with him in the off-season, to dub him Air Wilfork.Wilfork, a remarkable athlete for a 325-pounder, had a more simple label.I just look at it as capitalizing on opportunities, he said. Throughout the course of the season, youre going to have a couple of opportunities where you can make a game-changing play and Ive been able to make a couple of them in my career.Cornerback Brandon Browner also is returning to the playoffs after being suspended for them last season when his Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl.Does that make his return sweeter?Ive talked about the Super Bowl all off-season, Browner said. Thats been my goal. I want it bad. I dont know if its sweeter, but I want it bad because I didnt get to play in it.Darrelle Revis, the other free agent cornerback signed by the Patriots before the season, was in the playoffs just twice in his previous seven seasons and none in the last three.You talk to guys who have playoff experience and guys who never, whove played 12-13 years and have never even touched the playoffs, he said. Its great.Revis also came back from a serious injury. He missed most of the 2012 season with the Jets with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and wasnt at full strength in 2013 with Tampa Bay, which missed the playoffs. But this year he was chosen for the Pro Bowl.Theres a lot of appreciation just for (Wilfork) to get back to playing at a high level, Revis said. Hes been one of the top players in the league at his position.Revis and Browner are two big reasons for the Patriots defensive improvement this season. Wilfork is a third.Hes held up well this year, coach Bill Belichick said. Hes a powerful guy. Hes very smart and instinctive. Its hard to fool him on those type of plays, screens or traps or misdirection plays, those kind of things. Hes a hard guy to block.In this years playoffs, thats what offensive linemen must face.He didnt sulk last year when he was injured. He did what he could to help make us a better defensive line by giving advice, Siliga said. Now hes back, and Im excited to go into the post-season with him.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Hydro Flask Billig .ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400. Hydro Flask Kinder Trinkflasche . Almost 40 years to the day, the two teams will meet again, this time at BC Place, to celebrate the past and try to earn important points for the present. http://www.hydroflaskflasche.ch/ . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night. NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators have gotten off to a good start without Pekka Rinne. Craig Smith scored at 4:43 of overtime to give the Predators a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Shea Weber and Patric Hornqvist also scored for Nashville, which has won three of four. Anthony Peluso and Blake Wheeler scored for Winnipeg, which has lost three of four. Late in overtime, David Legwand picked up a loose puck in the Winnipeg zone and sent a pass to Smith at the left faceoff dot, where he hammered a one-timer past Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who had 30 saves. "I felt Leggy made a good play, he put it on a tee," Smith said. "The emphasis in this room is to shoot the puck and we did a good job of creating chances. I was the finishing touch right there." Tied at 1 entering the third period, Mike Fisher sent a shot on goal from the right boards. Hornqvist picked up the rebound in the high slot and fired a shot by Pavelec for his fourth goal of the season at 6:04 of the third. "Our second goal was a controlled breakout sort of setting," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We got Fisher wide and he hammered it at the net. We got two whacks at it, and the second one went in the net and that is shooting to create." Hornqvist leads the Predators in goals this season. With 3:01 left in the third, Wheeler skated through the slot and converted the long rebound off a Zach Bogosian shot. "I think we did a lot of good things," Wheeler said. "We came out and had a really good start. In the first 10 minutes, we were all over them, kind of let them off the hook a little bit, and they took a little bit of the momentum away from us." Weber scored the games first goal at 15:53 of the opening period. With the Predators on the power play, Seth Jones broke up a short-handed scoring opportunity by Winnipegs Evander Kane. Hydro Flask Schweiz. . Nashville went the other way and Weber beat Pavelec with a wrist shot to the stick side from the high slot. The Jets got even at 13:49 of the second on Pelusos first career goal. From the right side, Peluso carried the puck behind the Nashville goal and his wraparound attempt just crossed the goal line before Carter Huttons stick knocked the puck back out of the crease. The play was initially ruled no goal on the ice, but a quick video review showed that the puck did cross the goal line completely. "The game for me was played in pockets of consistency and inconsistency," Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said. "We started out the first 10 minutes; I thought we were really solid then. From there we werent able to sustain some of the stuff we were doing. The biggest task for our team is to be consistent through the whole 60 minutes." Carter Hutton won his second game against the Jets in the past week. He led Nashville to a 3-1 victory Sunday night in Winnipeg, his first career win. He will be busy over the course of the next month, as Rinne, Nashvilles top goaltender, underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday afternoon to clear up an infection in his left hip, the same hip he had surgery on following the conclusion of last season. "I am just taking it day-by-day, shot-by-shot, period-by-period, kind of slow things down," Hutton said. "You look at the big picture, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially Ive only played a couple of games." Thursdays procedure will keep Rinne out of the Nashville lineup for at least four weeks. Notes: Weber holds the Nashville record for power-play goals scored with 51. ... Nashville is 5-0-1 when scoring first this season. ... The Jets began a four-game road trip, all against fellow Central Division opponents. ... Winnipeg has not scored a power-play goal in its past six games. ' ' '