Vancouver Canucks Defeat NY Islanders: 5 Thoughts
By David Joun
3. Ryan Miller is not going quietly
Folks, hush the goalie controversy. Ryan Miller is listening in on you.
50 saves on 48 shots and three shootout opportunities against. This game was Miller’s game of the season to date, perhaps one of the best starts he has ever manufactured for Vancouver in his two seasons here. I think we can say Miller knows when he is ready to play.
He let nothing through for 51 minutes and 10 seconds of hockey. Oh, mind you, the defence helped. Hello there, Mr. Luca Sbisa, we missed you.
Ryan Miller (@RyanMiller3039) of the @VanCanucks ranks first in NHL history with 55 career shootout wins. #VANvsNYI pic.twitter.com/I6uhEJD0Fw
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 17, 2016
And of course, the king of the shootouts our Mr. Miller is. Going three-for-three to save Kyle Okposo and John Tavares is just another day between the posts, right?
On that note, guys. I think we can start the goalie controversy chant again. Just to make Miller play better. He is a professional and he is a competitor. Boy, can he step up to face pressure. Miller now is up to a .913 save percentage. The poor guy is still a 11-12-6 on the year, believe it or not.
Fun fact: Miller ranks third in adjusted save percentage when in a close game, among netminders who have played at least ten games’ worth of close hockey games (600 minutes). Only Braden Holtby and Petr Mrazek surpass Miller in that category.
Next: 4. Kids settling in nicely