Every athlete finds the various lull's in a season as the year goes on, and finds ways to overcome the fatigue and stress of performing day in and day out.
On the other hand, every athlete puts pressure on themselves in various situations to excel. The term pressure is inextricalby linked with one's self motivation and the desire to do something. When opportunities open up the elite athletes are the ones that make the most of their chances and take advantage of their future performances. On Tuesday night Carey Price had this chance as the Habs took on the Canucks in Vancouver.
The Canadian Press - Carey Price's previous trip to Vancouver ended with a sore hand. This time the Montreal Canadiens' goalie left with a souvenir puck.
Playing in front of at least 50 family members and friends, the Anahim Lake, B.C., native made 12 of his 37 saves in the third period, and the Canadiens snapped a decade-long drought in Vancouver with a 3-2 win over the Canucks on Tuesday night.
It was a decided improvement over Price's last trip to his home province early last season, which ended with him getting pulled after giving up seven goals. He then punched a hole in the wall of the visiting locker-room.
The year before that, with even more supporters in attendance, Price sat out behind Jaroslav Halak before getting a token appearance in the third period of another one-sided loss.
"I put a lot of mental preparation into this one," Price said. "I remember last year and not getting the opportunity to play before that and it really meant a lot to me coming in here. I think everyone in this locker-room realized that and really battled for me."
Canadiens defenceman Paul Mara made sure to grab the puck after the final buzzer and present it to Price after he was mobbed by his teammates.
"I really wanted that puck. That was the only one I've wanted all year," Price said. "I've watched the Canucks my whole life being from B.C., and getting an opportunity to play against them and actually win here is pretty special."
Price made a handful of game-saving stops in the third as Montreal won in Western Canada for the first time in three years, and the fifth time in 30 visits. "It was nice to get it here for Carey," defenceman Hall Gill said.
Coming off a 4-0 loss in the outdoor Heritage Classic at Calgary on Sunday, and with only one win in seven games (1-4-2), the Canadiens switched all four forward lines and stressed defensive play. It paid off as they roared to a 14-1 shot advantage in the first 10 minutes in a building where they had dropped seven straight, dating to November 2000.
"We knew we were going to meet a team that was on edge and they proved it the first 10 minutes," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "They threw everything they had at us. They were first on the puck. They completely controlled the game." For more on this article Click Here.
On the other end of the spectrum, take a look down south to the back-end of the Anaheim Ducks. Curtis McElhinney went into a downward spiral as he replaced Jonas Hiller. With Hiller on the shelf, McElhinney was given the opportunity to carry the load but could not secure the job. He has yielded 23 goals in his past five starts and failed to record a save percentage better than .840 during that span.
After winning just one of those five outings, this morning he was traded to Tampa Bay for goaltender Dan Ellis. Goaltender Ray Emery was also recently acquired and now brought up from the AHL after playing well in his three starts in Syracuse. Desperate for help, the Ducks now have two credible goaltenders who have had success in their past and are now both on the rise again.
Taking advantage of ones opportunities as they open up is something that every athlete must keep in mind. Waking up each morning every goaltender has the chance to open up a new door with how their attitude is shown, how they display their habits, and how their character is respected. Again, take note of this now when competing to be the starting goaltender going through your teams playoff run or for next season looking to crack a new roster or role for your team.
Heading into playoffs keep the bar raised high for each and every game. Build up your excitement towards showing your in net ability and to display what you have learned throughout the year.
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