Vancouver Canucks Are Going to Burn Out G Ryan Miller
By Jeff Godley
Goaltender Ryan Miller has been sensational lately, but the more the Vancouver Canucks play him, the more likely that he stumbles late in the season.
The Vancouver Canucks are 8-2-3 since Christmas.
That is the fifth-best NHL record during that time frame. Given that they entered their December break with a pair of 4-1 losses to the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames, their success has been a revelation.
Few, if any, saw this run of success coming, because the margin of error for Vancouver is so slim.
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No Room for Error
The Canucks have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the league all year. Frankly, nothing has changed lately. Even though they have the fifth-best record since Dec. 25, they’ve only scored 29 goals in 13 games. That’s 2.23 goals-per-game, which is actually lower than their season average of 2.42.
Vancouver isn’t scoring more since Christmas — they’re actually scoring less.
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The real reason for their success lies in the number of goals they are giving up. Or not giving up, in this case. No team has given up fewer goals since the NHL resumed play after the holidays.
Naturally, that all comes down to the play of Jacob Markstrom and Ryan Miller.
During this run, Markstrom has posted solid numbers: a 2.27 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. Those are stats you would expect from a future No. 1 goalie.
But while Markstrom has been good, Miller has been otherworldly.
The elder goalie has a goal-against of 1.67 and a save-percentage of .947, with two shutouts. This is how the Canucks have earned so many points despite never winning by more than one goal.
As you might expect, coach Willie Desjardins is running with the goalie with the best numbers. Of the 13 games Vancouver has played, Miller has started 10, compared to just three for Markstrom.
Starting Miller so often when he is play so well is totally understandable. But sooner or later, it’s going to come back to bite the Canucks.
Too Much Work
Let’s face it, Ryan Miller is 36 years old. He should not be starting 75% of his team’s games, no matter how well he is playing.
And it’s not just the years or the number of games. In six out of the 10 games he has started since Christmas, Miller has faced 30 or more shots — including 46 against the Calgary Flames.
Sure, it’s working out fine now. Better than fine, actually, as Miller is almost singlehandedly responsible for the team’s success. But at age 36, all these games and all these saves are going to take their toll.
This team wants to make a playoff push. For that to happen, they will need both goalies to be consistently great. It won’t make any difference how well Miller plays in January if he gets injured in February.
The Canucks have two netminders who are playing well. Playing the oldest one into ground while the younger one rides the bench is an unnecessary risk. And given how good Miller has had to play for the Canucks to earn all these points, even a little fatigue, or a slight dropoff in play could spell the end of their playoff hopes.
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Besides, management continues to say that they believe Markstrom will be their starter in the near future. In that case, he needs to start more than once every three games. If he is good enough to carry the team next year, he should be good enough to do it now.
Miller has played superb for his team recently. Still, he just shouldn’t be playing so much. He needs rest, Markstrom needs starts, and the Vancouver Canucks need two healthy goaltenders at the top of their game.