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TORONTO – Under the strain of a no. http://www.soccerspainonline.com/Oscar-De-Marcos-U...in-Jers ey/ . 1 gig in the NHL for the very first time, Jonathan Bernier has learned that its best to do little with off-nights from the grueling schedule, condensed as it is in an Olympic year. "I go home and watch TV and just rest," he said with a smile. "But thats what you need to do to be successful. Thats what Im going to do." And thats precisely what the Maple Leafs need him to do. Outside of the incomparable Phil Kessel, no player means more to Torontos fortunes down the stretch and into a hopeful postseason run than the 25-year-old between the pipes. Freed from the shadows of Jonathan Quick, Bernier has shined brilliantly in his first go-around as an NHL starter, minding the fort on most nights in front of a poor defensive team. The Laval, Quebec native ranks sixth in save percentage amongst goaltenders with at least 30 starts, this despite facing more shots than anyone but Mike Smith – Smith, of course, making nine more starts. Whether Bernier has the juice to maintain such a performance down the stretch could very well determine his teams fate. Though theyve scored in droves all year, the Leafs have also struggled badly to defend, requiring Bernier to fend off a barrage of 35, 40 and sometimes 50 shots against on many nights. His efforts have rarely wavered in spite of the workload. Berniers best month in terms of save percentage was October when he posted a sterling .933 mark, his worst coming more recently in January with a still respectable .916 showing. The Leafs – who allow a league-high of more than 36 shots per game – would not be on the firm ground of a playoff spot currently without such feats. "I knew my biggest challenge this year was going to be consistency," he told the Leaf Report, "to be good every night and hopefully, once in a while, be great and steal a few games for your team. Thats my main goal, to be good every night and give a chance to my team to win. But thats hard. When you havent played that much (as a starter) you feel tired a lot more than you are usually so its more like a grind mentally to push yourself to be better every day and work hard in practice. "Why (Henrik) Lundqvist is known as the best is hes going to be good every night and hes going to be great once in a while. Thats how you become the best is consistency. You can have one good year and then youre not going to be the best because youve got to prove it over and over. Thats what makes you a great player." Not since the 2009-10 season has Bernier played anywhere near this many games (40 starts) and that was when he was a Manchester Monarch in the AHL. His performance then was eye-catching. Then just 21, he posted a league-leading .936 save percentage during the regular season – Nathan Lawson was second at .922 – raising his level even higher in the playoffs with a .939 mark that again topped every one of his Calder Cup counterparts. All of which makes his performance this season if not surprising then reaffirming of the promise he showed early and often as a highly-touted prospect in the Kings organization. The question lingering now is whether he can continue to perform down the stretch or whether the strain of a sometimes painstaking load in Toronto will prove too much to bear. It will be worthwhile testing ground for the 11th pick in the 06 draft and could ultimately decide the Leafs fate this season. They remain a bad defensive team even with his heroics, ranking fifth to last in goals against. If he falters theres every chance they too falter as well (James Reimer lurks in the background in that case as a proven, if not unused, alternative). Bernier was on point in the final lead-up to the 18-day Olympic stoppage, but was scuffed up in his first two starts afterward, yielding nine goals combined in overtime losses to the Islanders and Canadiens. Off-nights like that will challenge the Leafs playoff push. Theyve required great goaltending to get to this point and will need more of the same in the final 20 games, the bulk of which Bernier is in line to start. Bernier for his part is doing what he can to remain sharp in the final leg of the regular season race. Earlier this season he noted that perhaps the greatest challenge of reassuming control of no. 1 duties is the mental focus required each and every night through an exhausting schedule, not simply the physical wear and tear associated with the job. "Its all about rest and feeling good about yourself and making sure you eat properly, you rest, you sleep good," he said. "Those are the things that are going to get you through a full season to be mentally sharp." Ambition is certainly high for Bernier. He wants to be great and the Leafs, at this stage, need him to be great, gambled when they acquired him that he could be great. "I dont want to look too far ahead," he said, "but my goal is to be the best I can be. Its going to take a few years to get that name (for myself) … but right now Im going day by day and enjoying to play games. Thats what Ive been waiting for and it feels good." Alvaro Morata Jersey . The 24-year-old appeared in 28 games with the Islanders last season, posting 11-16-1 record with a 3.29 GAA and .891 save percentage. Thiago Alcantara Jersey . - Jeff Maggert admitted his decisive putt on No.LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Lithuania advanced to the second round of the European basketball championship despite losing 78-72 to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday, while Germany knocked out Israel. Needing to win by 10 to squeeze out Lithuania, Bosnia led 72-58 after Mirza Teletovic knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:22 left in the game. Teletovic finished with 31 points but Lithuania cut the deficit and moved on. Linas Kleiza had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Lithuania. Croatia advanced by beating the Czech Republic 70-53. Ante Tomic had 12 points for Croatia, while Pavel Pumpria had 19 for the Czechs. Jan Vesely added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Germany, already eliminated, prevented Israel from advancing by winning 80-76. That outcome sent Belgium through. Ukraine and Latvia had already advanced to the second round by that time. The Ukrainians beat Britain 87-68, getting 11 points each from Ihor Zaytsev and Kyryl Natyazhko. Latvia, which got 15 points from Kristaps Janicenoks, defeated Macedonia 76-66 and eliminated a team that was in the semifinals two years ago. On the last day of group play, defending champion Spain won its fourth in five games by beating Georgia 83-59 to reach the second round. Ricky Rubio led Spain with 16 points. Finland beat Greece 86-77 in a match between two already-qualified teams, with Petteri Koponen scoring 29 for Finland. Italy beat Sweden 82-79 to finish on top of Group D, with Finland second and Greece third. Italy is the only unbeaten team, with five victories. Sweden led 63-56 late in the third quarter when Italy went on a 14-0 run to turn around the game. Italy overcame 26 points from Swedens forward Jeffery Taylor. With star guuard Marco Belinelli sitting out, Alessandro Gentile had 19 points for Italy, while Pietro Aradori scored 16. http://www.soccerspainonline.com/Sergio-Rico-UEFA-...in-Jers ey/. . Ukraine dominated from the start to register its fourth win in five games and eliminate Britain. "They had a chance to advance depending on what happened but we also wanted to advance, and it was important to our players to advance by winning," Ukraine coach Mike Fratello said. Spain trailed by one with just over three minutes left in the second quarter when Rudy Fernandez made a three-point play to put his team ahead by two. Spain then went on a 15-2 run to put away the game. "We were aggressive on defence and found easy shots on offence. I think we did a good job on defence and that gave us consistency in the game," Rubio said. "We always try to impose our pace, but of course thats not possible at all times. We know that we have had a good first round, with one lost game against Slovenia, so we know that we have to correct some things and we are ready for whatever is about to come." Latvia outscored Macedonia 27-16 in the first quarter after starting the game with a 12-0 run. "The plan was to be real aggressive, play aggressive defence. Because of that we got so many fast breaks," Latvia point guard Dairis Bertans said. "We havent been (to the second round) for so many years and we had a really tough group this year." Tibor Pleiss had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Germany, which also got 15 points apiece from Per Guenther and Lucca Steiger. Omri Casspi had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Israel, while Lior Eliyahu also had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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