At some point, J.T. Miller might be ready to share the reason why he stepped away from the Vancouver Canucks for personal reasons.
Thursday was not that day.
When Miller met with the media after Thursday’s morning skate and said he was looking forward to getting back into action against the Florida Panthers, he looked excited at the prospect of testing himself against the defending Stanley Cup champions. But he also made it clear that his focus was strictly looking forward and not at the recent past.
Long story short: Miller’s return provided an important boost to the Canucks, who have struggled to put together 60-minute efforts on home ice this year. Matched up against Florida’s Aleksander Barkov — no small assignment — Miller went 12-for-20 in the faceoff circle and picked up a pair of assists as the Canucks beat the Panthers 4-0 on Pride Night.
The crowd at Rogers Arena got its chances to chant Miller’s name, including as part of the starting lineup with longtime linemate Brock Boeser on the right side and Nils Hoglander on the left.
Boeser had been sidelined with a concussion before Miller took his leave, so the pair was reunited on Thursday for the first time since Nov. 7. It was like they’d never been apart.
Playing in his 500th career game, Boeser picked up his 187th career goal to make the score 3-0 early in the second period.
“J.T. made a heck of a play there when he came in the zone, and I knew he was going to pass it, so I’m going to shoot it,” Boeser said. “I think it hit the back of the net and popped to me. So I’ll definitely take it.”
Miller’s second point of the night came when the Canucks struck just nine seconds into a power play that came against the flow of play in the later stages of the third period. Miller won the draw against Anton Lundell, which set up Jake DeBrusk’s 14th goal of the year.
“He played 14:15 — that’s kind of what I wanted to play him,” said Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet of Miller’s performance. “I thought he did a good job against Barkov. He’s a big guy in the middle. It’s tough to go around him.”
The re-shuffling of the forwards saw wily and versatile Teddy Blueger drop to the fourth-line center spot. He also picked up assists on Vancouver’s first two goals.
The eventual game-winner, scored just 2:23 into the first period, came off the stick of big defenseman Carson Soucy. The second, late in the opening frame, was a net-front deflection by Danton Heinen, his fourth of the year.
The primary assist on both goals went to Max Sasson, the 24-year-old undrafted free agent who was called up from AHL Abbotsford while Miller was out. Now with four points in nine games, Sasson is making a case to stay with the big club.
“He’s doing everything he’s asked to do,” Tocchet said. “Gave him some ice time tonight and if he can hold on to pucks, if he can be good defensively, there’s a spot for him.”
Home Improvement
Of course, Miller’s return is only part of the story.
The Canucks also got a boost on the back end from Derek Forbort. Playing just his fifth game with Vancouver after missing more than a month with a knee injury, he meshed effectively on a pairing with pesky Mark Friedman.
And after Thatcher Demko helped the Canucks pick up a point with an overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Kevin Lankinen served notice that he can still be counted on to deliver quality starts.
Saving more than two goals above expected, according to naturalstattrick.com, Lankinen’s 14 wins tie him for second among all goalies, behind only Connor Hellebuyck. His three shutouts tie him with Hellebuyck and Sam Montembeault for tops in the NHL.
Asked what he thought of the new nickname,‘Kevin Blankinen,’ that’s circulating around, he chuckled.
“I haven’t heard that one before,” he said. “But yeah. I’ll take it.”
Lankinen was more careful when asked whether Thursday’s win was especially important after Demko’s return to action.
“I think every night is important,” he said. “I try not to think about things — overthink. I just play when I’m asked to, and try to put my ‘A’ game every night I get the chance.
“I was happy that tonight we were able to get the win as a whole, great, team effort.”
It’s a bonus that the win came against the Panthers — the league’s fifth-highest-scoring team and the defending champs. Thursday marked the first time all season that the Panthers were shut out.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On Canucks’ J.T. Miller And Stars’ Efforts To Replace Tyler Seguin
With just 28 games played so far, the Canucks are in playoff position in the Pacific Division and get a boost if points percentage is factored in.
They’ll look to carry forward the momentum of Thursday’s win through the final two games of an already-improved homestand, where they’ve picked up five of a possible eight points so far. They’re still 5-6-4 at home compared to 10-2-1 on the road, however.
The Boston Bruins will make their only visit of the year to Rogers Arena on Saturday, followed by the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
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