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CALGARY If he was just another player, Manny Malhotra(notes) might be sitting out rather than suiting up.The Vancouver Canucks centre has come to symbolize the long trek to NHL supremacy on an individual and collective basis. The first to admit his game isn #39;t where it needs to be after two offseason procedures on his injured left eye curtailed training to just three weeks, Malhotra has st football game online ruggled to keep pace and battle, struggled to score and is struggling with a minus-6 rating following a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.However, the fact that Malhotra has maintained dominance in the faceoff circle he was ranked fifth overall after 11 games with a 60.1 cent proficiency despite obvious visual and conditioning challenges has resonated with his teammates and the co football game online aching staff. Malhotra #39;s leadership in the room hasn #39;t wavered. Neither has his work ethic. And that #39;s where the centre gets cut some slack because you could argue that Maxim Lapierre(notes) has played more like a third-line centre than a fourth-line fixture. Alain Vigneault has even admitted as much.-One thing that makes this team good is that we have that internal competition,- said football game online Malhotra, who was a plus-1 against the Flames with an assist while winning 12 of 19 draws. -It #39;s not so much I #39;m competing with Max, it #39;s wanting to contribute more and being able to get back to my game. In the course of a shift you have to get out of the gate. Without that training and extra sessions in the summer, you lag behind a bit and it wasn #39;t until the beginning of training football game online camp where I was able to exert myself. -I feel I #39;m catching up to where I would normally be but it #39;s a work in progress. If I #39;m getting to the position, that helps create a lot defensively by being in position and offensively being able to forecheck and create stuff.-The March 16 accident in which he was struck by a deflected puck could have been career threatening for the 31-yea football game online r-old Malhotra and has been galvanizing the Canucks. With another season remaining on a three-year, $7.5 million US contract, the former first-round draft choice was signed to help take accountability to the next level. And when sidelined by the injury and surgeries, he became part coach and full-time cheerleader.-If there #39;s one individual who I #39;m going to have a lot of patience with it #3 football game online 9;s him,- said Vigneault. -He #39;s such a quality individual and doesn #39;t look for any excuses. He #39;s aware of the situation he #39;s in right now and he #39;s trying to put his best foot forward every day. I #39;ve got a lot of time for that and our management has got a lot of time for that. We #39;re definitely going to work with him.-The rope for Malhotra is longer for obvious reasons. S football game online ome of it is patience. Some of it is purposeful by the example he #39;s setting in trying to be a leader rather than a liability. Playing in back-to-back games this week might be a challenge because Vigneault still wants to monitor his minutes that are averaging 13:39. He has yet to score and had but 10 shots through 12 games. Against the Flames, he was shotless in 14:20.-I kind of feel for him be football game online cause I #39;m going through the same thing a bit right now,- said centre Ryan Kesler(notes). -I don #39;t think people understand how hard he is working to get back. I don #39;t think he #39;s too far off. I take draws against him in practice and can barely beat him and he #39;s an artist when it comes to that.-And he #39;s a real mature leader. He speaks up and leads by example. It #39;s the pers football game online on and the player he is. I respect a guy who goes out and takes his licks and even more coming back from the surgeries and it just shows you the will he has.-Malhotra doesn #39;t doesn #39;t require any further procedures on his injured eye and doesn #39;t dwell on the accident or the challenges surgeries have presented on and off the ice.-I #39;m past that point,- he said. -I #39;m over worrying football game online about it or being concerned. It #39;s about playing the game and as far as changing my game, I don #39;t have that luxury.-bkuzma@theprovince.comtwitter.com/benkuzma Play Fantasy Hockey, now with Pro Leagues! And follow Yahoo! Sports' NHL coverage on Twitter. Updated 4 hours, 23 minutes ago football game online
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