Is the saga ending, or has it only just begun? Vancouver Canucks stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, after Saturday night's game and after Sunday morning's practice, respectively, took shots at reporters over the widely publicized "rift" between the two players.
It has been reported multiple times, and seemingly confirmed by former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau and Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, among others, that Miller and Pettersson have or had a personal problem with each other. How major or minor that problem is or was is truly unclear.
Pettersson and Miller each took the opportunity to fire back at reporters for dousing gasoline on top of the fire already blazing in Vancouver, as both players seemingly denied the existence of such an issue in the first place.
"I don't know why people still try and make s--t up," Pettersson said after Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. "Next question."
Corroborated Miller on Sunday: "You guys, in a sense, have created this thing. I can bring out Petey and we can do the interview together if that'll make you guys happy."
Canucks created even more drama before holidays
The bottom line here is that neither Miller nor Pettersson took accountability for the drama that has ensued. Instead, each player used a witty, veiled one-liner as their best attempt to pour cold water on this thing.
Miller, however, at least took ownership of his poor play. The 31-year-old Canucks star lost his marker twice in the loss to Ottawa on Saturday, including a poor effort on the overtime game-winning goal. "That's on me," Miller admitted. "I've got to be more focused."
So, where do the Canucks go from here? Miller and Pettersson have done very little to silence the noise in Vancouver, while the team has won just three of its last 10 games. The Canucks will host the Sharks at 6 p.m. on Monday night in their last game before the holiday break, and they need to be willing to do just about anything to put a bandaid on this 3-3-4 stretch they have put together lately.
The Canucks are miraculously still holding onto a wildcard playoff spot at the time of this writing, though the Dallas Stars and Utah Hockey Club are one and two points behind, respectively, with each holding a game in hand.
If the Canucks lose to the Sharks on Monday and drop out of a playoff spot, this is certainly not the last time Miller and Pettersson will have to face the noise. And if and when they do next, they had better find some accountability.