RALEIGH, N.C. -- Montreal left wing Max Pacioretty was confident he can play for the U.S. in the Olympics after sustaining a lower-body injury against Carolina on Saturday night. Pacioretty collided with the goal with 7:30 left in the first period after being checked by Carolinas Brett Bellemore in the teams final game before the Olympic break. After the game, Pacioretty said it was precautionary for him not to return. "I went in pretty hard and I got the wind knocked out of me," said Pacioretty. " I think the team wanted to play it safe and I think it was a good decision." A native of New Canaan, Conn., Pacioretty will leave for Sochi, Russia, on Sunday to join the American team, which opens play Thursday against Slovakia. The 25-year-old Pacioretty has played 49 games this season. He has 26 goals and 11 assists. Pacioretty had his second hat trick of the season Thursday in a 5-2 win over Vancouver. Mariners Jerseys 2020 . This is not some token job for a prominent, popular former player. All of those areas need a lot of work, so Molitor is going to be busy. "Hes certainly got a history and knowledge and a high baseball IQ," general manager Terry Ryan said. Seattle Mariners Pro Shop . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. https://www.cheapmariners.com/. Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov. Stitched Mariners Jerseys .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. Seattle Mariners Shirts . Blatter also told reporters Saturday after meeting with Qatars emir that the decision to award the tournament to the desert nation is "not reversible." There have been calls to move the tournament because of Qatars intense heat. NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis swatted away Pau Gasols shot, quickly sprinted toward the other end of the court, took a pass from Eric Gordon and rolled in a driving layup as Jodie Meeks fouled him. Davis smiled widely and allowed himself a slight fist-pump as his momentum carried him over the baseline. He then sauntered back to free throw line and finished his game-sealing three-point play while a jubilant New Orleans Arena crowd chanted "M-V-P!" Davis finished with a career-high 32 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tied a career best with six blocks, leading the New Orleans Pelicans over the Los Angeles Lakers 96-85 on Friday night. "I mean, hes the franchise. Hes that guy. Hes the go-to guy and everybody here knows it," said guard Jrue Holiday, whose 13 points and 13 assists gave him his first double-double with New Orleans. "We want him to be that guy. Its awesome to see." Gordon scored 16 for the Pelicans, who led most of the way in their second straight win. New Orleans had lost 11 regular-season games in a row to the Lakers. New Orleans broke open a tight contest with a 12-0 run in the final 3:16 that started with Davis 16-foot jumper and included his fast-break two-handed jam, his block of Gasol and his fast-break layup. "Hes a special player because hes athletic," Gasol said. "Hes able to block a shot on one end and sprint to the other end and get a layup ... so you really have to keep up with him because he creates a threat to you thats a little different than other players. "Hes got a good shooting touch. Hes got a complete package for his second year in the league," Gasol added. "Its pretty impressive." The performance forced Pelicans coach Monty Williams to abandon his usual refrain that Davis, the 2012 top overall draft choice, is only "scratching the surface" of his capabilities. "I dont know what hes scratching, but I know he works his tail off," Williams said. "Were going to enjoy seeing nights like this from him." Davis matter-of-factly said he was pleased to see results from the work he put into his game since last season ended. "I work on certain things and try to apply it during the game. Thats why you work out. Thats why you have summer sessions and work with the coaches, work with the team, trainers, whoever, to get better," Davis said. "Id be disappointed in myself if I hadnt gotten better." Chris Kaman led Los Angelles with 16 points, while Nick Young and Steve Blake each scored 13.dddddddddddd Steve Nash was in uniform but did not play, part of what coach Mike DAntoni described as a plan to rest the 39-year-old point guard in the second of games played on back-to-back nights. The Lakers had won in Houston a night earlier and did not arrive in New Orleans until 3 a.m. Gasol had nine points and 11 rebounds, but said his team needs him to perform better than that when stars like Nash and Kobe Bryant are out. "Ive got to be sharper. Ive just got to play a little smarter," Gasol said. "I might not have all the speed and explosiveness that I used to have years ago, but I still have to use my experience and my fundamentals to be able to be effective every single night regardless of who were playing." Jordan Hill pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Lakers. Jason Smith scored 14 points for New Orleans. Davis asserted himself in the opening minutes by rising to tip a missed shot three times before it finally dropped in for his first points. He scored soon after by slamming home another missed shot and hitting an 18-footer. By the time the first half was over, had 15 points and 10 rebounds, helping New Orleans to a 55-48 lead. "Guys are looking for him now a consistent basis," Williams said. "When you get out and beat everybody down the floor and you get layup and dunk after dunk, he makes it easy on everybody else." NOTES: Outgoing NBA commissioner David Stern, wholl step down at the All-Star break in New Orleans in February, attended the game in what is his last planned official visit to the Big Easy in his current post. Those honouring Stern included Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. After the first quarter, Stern was presented with a framed Pelicans jersey bearing his last name and the No. 30, a nod to his three decades as commissioner. Stern was influential in securing New Orleans future as an NBA city both after Hurricane Katrina and in 2010, when the NBA made the unprecedented move of purchasing the team from then-owner George Shinn and finding a buyer committed to keeping the club in Louisiana long-term. That buyer was Tom Benson, who also owns of the NFLs Saints. After Katrina, Stern said, "We were determined to do our best to do everything possible to make sure that we would be a part of what we knew would be the growth and redemption of New Orleans. And we did it." ' ' '