Miller had two third-period shifts Sunday when the Canucks needed him most. How will he react to the benching against the Rangers?
Vancouver Canucks vs. New York Rangers
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When/where: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena
TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650
So, now what?
The combustible Canucks centre was benched in the third period Sunday — two shifts of 33 and 66 seconds respectively when his club needed him the most before falling 5-3 to the Nashville Predators — and he finished a forgetful night with no shot attempts and a season-low 11:49 of ice time. He averages 18:24.
This isn’t new territory for Miller. On Dec. 27, 2018, he logged just 6:02 for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and on Jan. 23, 2018, he played only 4:55 for the New York Rangers. However, the latest minute subtraction is much more significant.
Miller is the straw that stirs the offensive drink and is coming off a monster career-high 103 points (37-66) last season to finish ninth in NHL scoring.
However, whatever is missing in his game didn’t suddenly surface Sunday. He holds himself to a high standard, and if some nagging ailment is bugging him, he’s not going to talk about it.
What he needs is a presence Tuesday, whether it’s in the faceoff circle, the power play, forechecking or defending. That will do the talking.
And regardless of what needs to occur against the Rangers to improve on a paltry 3-4-3 home record, the fourth line can’t be the best line.
“They (Predators) block a lot of shots and pack the house and are hard to score on — especially when they have a lead like that,” Garland said of the Sunday setback. “We played with desperation, but didn’t bury our chances. It’s a fine line in this league.”
The history: The Canucks split the 2023-24 season series. They dropped a 4-3 overtime decision at home on Oct. 28 as K’Andre Miller got the winner. On Jan. 8 at MSG, the re-united Lotto Line struck for eight points (4-4) in a 6-3 win. Pettersson had two goals and two assists.
The fear: The 15th-ranked penalty kill (80.4 per cent) was bad Sunday in going 0-for-2 amid positional confusion. The 13th-rated power play (22 per cent) has scored in six of the last seven games (6-for-19, 33 per cent). Pettersson struck with the man advantage Sunday.
The top guns: Pettersson has six points (4-2) in his last five games, while Miller has five points (1-4) in five games.
The projected lineup:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Sherwood
Suter-Miller-Lekkerimaki
Joshua-Blueger-Garland
Heinen-Raty-Hoglander
Hughes-Hronek
Soucy-Myers
Brannstrom-Juulsen
Lankinen
(Canucks off Monday)
The prediction: The Canucks follow up another bad performance at home ice by striking twice on the power play to prevail 4-3 and end a six-game homestead on a positive note.