Instant Reaction: JT Miller opens and closes the scoring for Canucks win in 700th career game

Thatcher Demko has been very good in his three starts since returning from injury, and so you didn’t think this one would be very close. After all, in Demko’s last start, the Canucks took down the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-1. With the Anaheim Ducks in town and with Demko between the pipes, it felt like this was certainly going to be a win for the home side.

But instead, it was close right down to the finish.

Despite the Canucks leading on the shot chart, there was no moment in this game where it felt like either team was in the driver’s seat.

It was the perfect moral dilemma for Canucks fans, as a loss would have been great for the tanking efforts. But also, losing against this team? That’s just downright embarrassing.

And although it was closer than I think anyone would have expected, there was just no way the Canucks were losing this game.

Troy Terry tallied the first goal of the game when he beat Demko just over three minutes into the game, while JT Miller opened the scoring for the Canucks while shorthanded after an incredibly smart play from Elias Pettersson set Miller up all alone in front of 22-year-old goaltender Lukas Dostal.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored his 30th goal of the season tonight, and is the first Russian to score 30 goals in his first NHL season with the Canucks since Pavel Bure in 1992.

Brock McGinn scored again for Anaheim following Kuzmenko’s goal, and after a scoreless third, we were headed for overtime.

And once again, it was Miller who found the back of the net, tallying his 23rd of the season.

 

In his 700th game, Miller opened and closed the scoring for his team, and was instrumental in the Canucks picking up the 3-2 overtime victory.