My thumb is up to Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens, who scored the first goal of the NHL season on Wednesday. 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. Fake Air Max 97 Cheap . Raymond, 31, started 15 regular-season games for the Stamps in 2013, racking up 51 tackles. He also returned two kickoffs for 79 yards including a 61-yarder. Fake Air Max Plus Cheap . LOUIS -- The St. http://www.fakeairmax.com/fake-air-max-200-cheap/ . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. Fake Air Max 3 Cheap .Dawson also birdied two of the last four holes to reach 12-under 132 on TPC San Antonios AT&T Canyons Course. He won his only title in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in 2002 in the Web.com Tours LaSalle Bank Open.Im not going to lose any sleep, believe me, Dawson said. I used to be a perfectionist, but my attitude now is to play like Im in the pro-am. Fake Air Max 2020 Cheap . - John Elways philosophy is to address immediate needs in free agency, even though some of his own veterans may prove too pricey to keep around.Sao Paulo, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Atletico Mineiro moved into second place in the Brasileiro after claiming a 3-2 win over Sport Recife on Saturday. Sport grabbed the lead 17 minutes into the match after a header from Rodrigo Mancha, but Atletico managed to equalize 10 minutes before the break when Tiago Pagnussat fired home a free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Jesus Datolo put Atletico in front three minutes after the break as he was picked out by a pass from Maicosuel and fired home a left-footed shot from the middle of the box. Five minutes later, Atletico was reduced to 10 men when Victor received a straight red card for a foul on Sports Wendel. The equalizer arrived in the 69th when Carlos Carvalho had a shot saved at close range and then scored on the rebound. But Atletico managed to win the game with 10 men as Danilo scored 12 minutes from time after being set up by Diego Souza. The win allows Attletico to move past Corinthians and to within seven points of leaders Cruzeiro, which had to settle for a 1-1 draw after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer to Pablo of Figueirense.dddddddddddd Corinthians dropped one point back of Atletico after needing a goal in the 90th minute from Danilo to salvage a 1-1 draw at Palmeiras. Fluminense topped Atletico Paranaense, 2-1, after the two sides traded goals in stoppage time, with Fred netting the winner for Fluminense. Leandro scored in added time to help Chapecoense salvage a 1-1 draw with Santos, Gremio and Coritiba battled to a 1-1 stalemate after a goal in the 85th minute from Gremios Cristian Riveros, Edno scored twice in the final 11 minutes to lift Vitoria to a 3-1 win over Criciuma, Botafogo downed Flamengo, 2-1, Internacional scored twice in the opening 40 minutes of a 2-0 win over Bahia, and on Monday, a pair of early goals powered Sao Paulo to a 3-0 victory over Goias. ' ' '