TORONTO a€“ The disappointment was evident all over his face. Attempting a re-launch of his NHL career this fall, Petri Kontiola, the former Blackhawks draft pick, was plainly dejected after his second exhibition game with the Leafs on Wednesday night. Kontiola, a 29-year-old who spent the past five seasons in the KHL, knew that what hed offered so far probably wasnt good enough. a€?Im not doing that well right now and I know it,a€? he said gloomily. a€?Thats about it.a€? Kontiolas biggest challenge in making the leap back to the NHL, as per Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle, was his ability to keep up with the pace of the game. And thats been precisely the struggle for the Finnish forward. His long, choppy stride appears just a step too slow for the high speeds of the NHL game, evident even at this early stage of the exhibition season. He teamed uncomfortably with Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on a de facto top line against Ottawa, finishing without a shot on goal in about 13 minutes. a€?We try to use these games as assessment periods and sometimes people play themselves into situations and play them out of situations,a€? Carlyle said, not mentioning Kontiola specifically. a€?We tried to put people in situations where they can have the best possible chance for success and then thats when the evaluation process starts.a€? The evident fact of Kontiolas struggle, early as it may be in training camp, has made Torontos once uncertain centre dynamic become pretty clear pretty quick. With Kontiola seemingly out of the mix a€“ hes not getting faster overnight a€“ the final two centre spots would appear safely in the hands of Peter Holland and Mike Santorelli, an unproven duo in different regards. Given Carlyles stated intention of three a€?scoringa€? lines, Holland would seem the probable choice for third line centre duties beyond Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri. Just 23, the former first round pick has offered hints of promise in 68 NHL games a€“ albeit inconsistently a€“ including five goals and 10 points in 39 games with the Leafs last season. Making clear that he was just a rung above the American League in the spring, he went on to thrive with the Marlies in the playoffs, boasting 15 points in 11 games. But can he fulfill his potential with the increased NHL opportunity likely to come his way? That will indeed be the question. Santorelli could certainly push him for some of those offensive minutes, but appears better suited (of the two) to absorb the difficult minutes left by Jay McClement, a Carlyle favourite whom the organization let walk in the offseason. Under the direction of since-deposed Vancouver head coach John Tortorella, Santorelli was utilized in challenging defensive situations, also killing penalties along the way. And he fared okay, posting positive Corsi numbers at even-strength. If Carlyle can find in him a player to handle those difficult assignments in the coming year he could alleviate some of the burden carried by Bozak and the teams top trio, which was often overloaded against top lines a year ago. a€?Hes going to get opportunities,a€? Carlyle said of Santorelli. a€?We brought the player in feeling that he could make a contribution.a€? Unlike McClement, who scored just four goals in 81 games, Santorelli also offers some offensive potential. Averaging nearly 19 minutes, he scored 10 times in 49 games with his hometown Canucks, adding a 20-goal campaign to the resume in Florida a few years earlier. a€?I think as a player you want to come in and help with the team any way you can and thats all Im looking to do here,a€? said Santorelli, who also won 51 per cent of his faceoffs. As for Kontiola, his fight to remain in the race for a job with the Leafs hangs by an apparent thread. Though the transition to North American-sized rinks would seem a challenge, even for a player who spent two seasons over here, he refused to touch it after Wednesdays game, brushing it off as an excuse. a€?No, a good player can play wherever,a€? he said. The team wasnt quite as dismissive. a€?Were watching him very closely,a€? Peter Horachek, the Leafs assistant coach, said before the game, a€?as we are with a couple of the other centremen and seeing where they stand because theres some questions to be answered for our team coming through training camp.a€? One at least appears increasingly closer to a solution. Air Max 97/1 Sean Wotherspoon Fake . By then it was clear: The 76ers were going to win for the first time in two months, and they were going to do it with ease. The 76ers snapped their NBA record-tying, 26-game losing streak, routing the Detroit Pistons 123-98 on Saturday night to avoid establishing the longest skid in U. Air Max 97 Shanghai Kaleidoscope . Brassard and Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris were battling for position in the crease when a nudge from Morris sent Brassard on top of Smith late in the third period. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-plus-cheap.html. Western and the second-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (7-0) once again received 20 and 10 first-place votes from the Football Reporters of Canada panel, respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 are the Calgary Dinos (7-0), Queens Gaels (7-1), Guelph Gryphons (7-1), Montreal Carabins (5-2), Bishops Gaiters (5-2), McMaster Marauders (5-3), Manitoba Bisons (4-3) and the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-3) Western crushed York 50-10 last Saturday in its league finale to secure first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the conference playoffs. Air Max 97 Ultra 17 Fake . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter. Racer Pink Air Max Plus 97 . The former world No. 1 Djokovic, who is the top seed here despite being ranked No. 2, snuck past 35-year-old Czech showman Radek Stepanek in four high- quality sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), on Centre Court. Djokovic appeared relieved when he converted on his first match point by swatting a cross-court forehand winner that just caught the line to end an affair that featured only two service breaks.PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Andrew Loupe knows how one week can change everything. He can only hope his 8-under 63 in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is the start of another one. Loupe had to wait three hours to tee off because of rain Thursday, and then he played bogey-free on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. That gave him the lowest score among those who finished their rounds. Rain soaked the Monterey Peninsula in the morning, which was great news for an area desperate for rain, not so much for the tournament. Puddles quickly formed on the greens at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, forcing play to be stopped on all three courses. Monterey Peninsula played the easiest, and Loupe took advantage. He never had to scramble for par, missed only one fairway and only two of his birdies were over 10 feet. This was his first trip to the area, and it was everything he imagined. "This place is amazing," Loupe said with a smile as wide as a fairway. The 25-year-old from Louisiana hasnt made the cut in five starts his rookie season. Loupe might not even have a PGA Tour card except for his tie for sixth in the last event of the Web.com Tour Finals. He had missed the cut in his previous three "Finals" event. Stuart Appleby, Jim Renner, Richard Lee and Scott Gardiner had 65s at Monterey Peninsula. Phil Mickelson, a four-time champion, was at 5-under par through 15 holes when the round was stopped because of darkness. Pebble Beach played the toughest, though the weather was not nearly bad enough to make that much of a difference with only a cool breeze and no rain the rest of the day. Jimmy Walker, already a two-time winner this season, got up-and-down for birdie on the 18th for a 66, the best score at Pebble. Jordan Spieth, playing with country singer Jake Owen, had the best round at Spyglass Hill at 67. He picked up birdies on all but one of the par 5s, stuffed one close on the uphill second hold and escaped with par with a long pitch from short of the sixth green. "It was more of an effort just to really play safe on the harder holes," Spieth said. "The par 5s you can take advantage of out here. I three-putted the first par 5 for par, but bounced back on the other par 5s. And then I finally made some putts on the back nine. We picked a great day to have Spyglass." Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner of this event, had a 68 at Spyglass Hill playing with his future father-in--law, hockey great Wayne Gretzky.dddddddddddd "More happy with the fact he was 4 under today and its a tough course," Gretzky said. "Im here for fun. Hes here for work." Johnson had to work hard for his birdie on the ninth hole. His approach struck the pin and bounced back some 40 yards off the green. He chipped that in for his third straight birdie, and then picked up another birdie on the par-5 11th. He closed with seven pars for what he believes was his first bogey-free round at Spyglass. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot a 1-under 70 at Monterey Peninsula. Ottawas Brad Fritsch turned in a 5-over 77 at Spyglass Hill. Graeme McDowell, back at Pebble Beach for the first time since he won the 2010 U.S. Open, opened with a 71 at Spyglass Hill. He has to wait until Saturday to play Pebble Beach with his father, Kenny. Defending champion Brandt Snedeker had a 72 at Spyglass Hill. Loupe kept reminding everyone that his 63 was only one round, though it sounded as if he was reminding himself. He is thrilled to be on the PGA Tour, and it really hit him a few weeks ago at Torrey Pines when some of the biggest stars began showing up. This wasnt the start he imagined, however -- one round out of 11 that was under par, five weekends off. He wasnt about to panic, either. "I really just stick to the plan and I know that my group is good. I have 100 per cent trust in my swing coach, my family, my trainer," he said. "I guess when youre in those ruts, I just kept telling myself, Youre supposed to be here, youre going to play good, just keep playing. This is just one round, guys, but I feel good. "I did miss a few cuts coming into Sawgrass and played good," he said of the week that secured his card in the Web.com finals. "And I just knew that I could do it again. Would I like to play more consistently? Yes. But I just want to keep this rolling." DIVOTS: Davis Love III was 2 over through 15 holes, but at least he had an amateur. Kelly Slater won the Volcom Pipe Pro 2014 on Wednesday at the Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, scoring a perfect 10 on one ride. He arrived at Pebble Beach about 5 a.m. Thursday. ... Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley opened with a 67 at Pebble Beach. ... Jim Furyk, in his first PGA Tour event since September, opened with a 70 at Spyglass Hill. David Duval made his first start of the year and shot 72 at Pebble Beach. ' ' '