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You don’t have to be a goaltender to feel like you’re on a competitive island.

Everyone will feel pressure when the Vancouver Canucks open their regular-season schedule on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. Performance anxiety and scrutiny are professional pitfalls and have led many to seek guidance to maintain focus and balance.

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Some have found solace in Canucks sports psychologist Dr. David Cox. Jacob Markstrom found it in late-night calls to his athletic family in Gavle, Sweden. The timing couldn’t be better with what awaits the towering stopper.

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He knows what needs to play out between the pipes is as crucial as wondering where the offence is coming from and if anybody can spark the power play.

He knows there must be calm and competitive performances on the ice and reasonable post-game responses to sub-par outings. No outbursts. No scrum bolting.

Markstrom is better prepared for all of that. Witnessing the Zen-like approach Ryan Miller took with meticulous examination of his equipment and his pre-practice and game routines rubbed off. So did the manner is which he methodically answered repetitive questions about loss after loss. That’s hard. Was Miller peeved? Absolutely. Did he show it in his three years here? Seldom.