My thumb is up to Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens, who scored the first goal of the NHL season on Wednesday. [url=http:

My thumb is up to Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens, who scored the first goal of the NHL season on Wednesday. Franmil Reyes Padres Jersey . He did that at the 4:42 mark of the first period against the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, and at that precise moment, Pacioretty was, or should have been, the envy of every other NHL forward. At that moment, Pacioretty was the only one who did not have to worry about scoring his first goal, and did not have to wonder when it would come. Scoring slumps happen, and the only way to deal with them is to know that they will end. But theres something about a slump that occurs at the beginning of a season and has a zero attached to it, thats the slump that players dread and often try too hard to break. Pacioretty was the first to sigh with the relief that comes with knowing that the first goal has already been scored. If he wants to fuss about the second goal, well, thats another, much smaller matter. But if he aims to do one better than last season, when he scored 39 goals to lead all players on Canadian-based teams, he now needs only 39 more. No sooner had the Buffalo Sabres lost their first game of the season than the tank talk began. So Ill use both thumbs here, one thumb is down to anyone who asks to be taken seriously as an NHL observer while suggesting that the Sabres, or any other team for that matter (Carolina?), should aim for a 30th-place finish. The other thumb is down to the NHL for refusing to deal with the issue by maintaining a draft lottery system that offers an incentive to do so. It is true that a last-place finish does not guarantee a number-one draft selection, but as long as a last-place finish brings with it the best odds of picking first, 30th will be preferable to 29th. The easy and right solution is to give all 14 non-playoff teams an equal shot at winning the draft lottery. The word tank need never be mentioned again. The injection of real drama into the draw and the increased audience it would generate automatically puts to shame the event in its current form. And dont tell me that the worst team needs to get the best player, because theres no guarantee of that now. If the NHL wants that, it should scrap the lottery and trust that no one will cheat. If it wants to keep the lottery because somebody might remove a skate from the pedal, fix the lottery by making it wide open. Oh yes, and Buffalo plays at Carolina on Tuesday, October 14. As you read this, stories that say the loser will be the winner are being prepared. Ozzie Smith Jersey .Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts. Craig Stammen Padres Jersey . The attacking midfielder arrives on a free transfer from Spains Malaga. The 28-year-old joins Scottish striker Kenny Miller and Argentine midfielder Matias Laba as designated players on the Whitecaps roster. http://www.padressale.com/padres-garrett-richards-jersey/ .com) - Matt Beleskey has helped give the Anaheim Ducks some scoring depth and hell look to stay hot on Wednesday night when his club hosts the struggling Philadelphia Flyers.PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco has already earned a long list of admirers during his short time in the majors. New York Mets manager Terry Collins is now one of them. Collins got his first look at the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right fielder Thursday night and came away impressed. "Hes got a lot of tools, a lot of skills," Collins said. "I watched him in batting practice and you see he had big power, then he showed it in the game. Hes very impressive." The hot-hitting Polanco homered and drove in four runs, and resurgent right-hander Vance Worley pitched seven stingy innings to lead the Pirates past the Mets 5-2 for their fifth win in six games. Polanco drove in the games first run with a groundout in the first inning, then sent a three-run homer into the right-field stands off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the fifth to put the Pirates ahead 5-1. The right fielder went 2 for 3 with a walk and is hitting .338 in 16 games since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 10. The Pirates are 10-6 since Polanco arrived, pushing them one game above .500 at 40-39. "Hes a talented young man, so Im humble to have him on the club and the opportunity to write his name in the lineup," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Its a good time for him to be included on our club and hes obviously been making a difference since hes been up here." Worley (2-0) scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out three. He has given up four runs in 20 2-3 innings over three starts since coming up from Indianapolis on June 15. He was 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA in 10 starts for Minnesota last season. Hurdle was particularly impressed that Worley pitched so effectively while struggling with his command. Worley had walked only five batters in 58 2-3 innings between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis prior to Thursday. "It was a very solid body of work, a very professional effort," Hurdle said. "Hell be the first one to tell you he wasnt as sharp as hed been previously. You saw a man go out tthere and have to wrestle a little bit and maintain composure, mound presence, and just pound the zone. Rollie Fingers Padres Jersey. " Matsuzaka (3-2) allowed five runs and five hits in six innings with four walks and four strikeouts. Lucas Duda hit his team-high 12th home run for the Mets. New York cut it to 5-2 on back-to-back doubles by Daniel Murphy and David Wright in the eighth, but Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Polancos home run came on a full-count pitch with one out after Pedro Alvarez hit the first of his three singles and Worley also singled. Polanco sounded a little like famous Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne when he talked about his approach at the plate in that situation. "I just fight, fight, fight, swing, swing and try to make contact," Polanco said. "I stayed with my approach and I hit it." Polanco hit a slider after Mets catcher Travis dArnaud had called for a changeup. "I shook off dArnaud and that ended up being a big mistake," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I apologize to him about that." NOTES: New York activated CF Juan Lagares (ribcage) from the 15-day disabled list before the game. ... Mets RHP Dillon Gee will make his second rehab start Sunday, pitching for Class-A Brooklyn while on a 55-pitch limit. He has been on the DL since June 11 with a strained right lat. ... Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game. He felt concussion-like symptoms after sliding into second base Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. The head and neck are no longer a problem, but Marte is still feeling the effects of a jammed right middle finger. ... Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano had a 30-pitch bullpen session, the first time he had thrown off a mound since going on the disabled list June 11 with a left oblique strain. ... New York RHP Jacob deGrom (1-4, 3.75 ERA) faces RHP Brandon Cumpton (3-2, 4.93) in a matchup of rookies Friday night. ' ' '