‘You guys in a sense of that outer world have created this thing. This isn’t a thing. I can bring in Petey and we can do the interview together, if that will make you guys happy.’ — J.T. Miller
Miller then pointed the finger of blame at the media.
“You guys in a sense of that outer world have created this thing,” said Miller. “This isn’t a thing. So, am I bothered? No. But you guys are just wasting your time. I don’t care. You can ask me all you want.
“I can bring in Petey and we can do the interview together, if that will make you guys happy. I have a lot of stuff to worry about right now myself and I’m not worried about any noise and it’s not between my ears.
“I’m trying to find out how to play a good 200-foot game.”
Miller and Pettersson share the same creative and scoring traits, but are polar opposites.
Miller is an alpha male and cut from an old-school cloth. He’s loud and proud, and his stick slams of frustration and F-bombs are often directed at himself for mistakes or missing assignments.
Pettersson has a different view of the world. He’s very good at his chosen craft but has other interests and is drawn to music and fashion, among other things.
However, that shouldn’t deter the pair from finding common ground to put personalities aside and drive the offence.
“I really try not to take stock in the points, but they’re definitely harder to come by right now,” admitted Miller. “I’m not driving the play the way I want to on a consistent basis.”
If the Canucks expect to improve on a concerning 6-7-5 home record, especially after going 27-9-5 last season to collect 109 points and capture the Pacific Division, they need the best from their best.
Right now, they’re in a precious wild-card spot. That was not the plan.
“If would be great if we could have 100 points for sure,” agreed Miller. “That would be ideal, right? We’re just trying to play the right way and points with come when they come.”
It won’t be that simple if they can’t transfer their remarkable road show — 10-3-2 to tie the Minnesota Wild for fewest regulation losses — because slow starts at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena keep piling up.
Rallying to get to overtime and earn a point Saturday against the Senators was commendable, but the game was there for the taking.
Miller has had his moments since taking a leave of absence Nov. 19. He matched up well in impressive home-ice wins against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche — shutting down elite centres in Aleksander Barkov and Nathan MacKinnon — but consistency remains the challenge.
“We’re doing a lot of good things right now, but we’ve got to stop hurting ourselves with costly mistakes,” said Miller, who accepted blame for not picking up Josh Norris on his shorthand goal Saturday.
“I made a mistake,” he said. “Rare to run set plays on the penalty kill and it was my guy, I didn’t even know he was there. I was just trying to pick off that first pass. That’s on me. And same on the overtime goal. Both my fault. S — t happens. It’s a long season.”
“A lot of players have a lot of different things on their plate,” he said. “You always want to coach a player so his mind is free when he leaves the rink.
“When you’re cloudy it affects your play. It’s our job to create a safer environment for everybody. We have to try to help all our players.
“But it’s about the crest, not an individual player.”