Another depressing loss to the Nashville Predators on Friday night has spelled trouble for the Vancouver Canucks, and it is perhaps not too early to begin sounding the alarms. This is only compounded when you consider the Canucks were shutout 3-0 at home. How can this be?
Even Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin cannot understand the apparent mental disconnect his team appears to suffer from in pressure situations, and instead believes that the team should rise to the occasion instead of being suffocated by it.
One player who Allvin expects to shuolder the load for the Canucks is J.T. Miller, who has struggled all season, both before and after his personal leave of absence. It's been reflected in the stat sheet.
J.T. Miller has not scored against a goalie since Oct. 24
Miller's last goal was scored back on Nov. 16, an empty-net goal that gave the Canucks a 3-1 lead ina 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Before that, Miller's last goal was an empty-net goal that gave the Canucks a 4-2 lead over the Los Angeles Kings in a 4-2 win on Nov. 7.
All in all, the last time Miller scored a goal for the Canucks with a goalie in the net was in a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 26, when he scored Vancouver's third goal. That was 22 games ago.
In total Miller, 31, has six goals, 19 assists, and 25 points in 28 games this season. The former 15th overall pick is scoring at an 11.1% clip, which is his lowest such rate in a decade.
The star Canucks forward is not playing well, and the reported locker room issues and off-ice stuff are not helping his case. His tenure in Vancouver may end unceremoniously at this rate if he cannot pick his play up soon.