WWYDW: Miller Time
8 years ago
Ryan Miller has been the undisputed MVP of the Vancouver Canucks through four games. As the team tries to build chemistry and re-learns how to consistently put the puck in the net, Miller has been a force. Even in his worst game, the 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames, he made 35 saves on 38 shots, which on a full season pace is well above the league average. But here’s the thing about Miller; while we’re all hoping this means he’s going to rebound from his mediocre first year, starting strong is pretty normal for the Michigan Native. Take a look:
| Year | W | L | OTL | SA | SV | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 107 | 0.955 | 1 |
| 14/15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 84 | 0.884 | 1 |
| 13/14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 153 | 144 | 0.941 | 0 |
| 12/13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 135 | 127 | 0.941 | 0 |
| 11/12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 130 | 0.942 | 0 |
| 10/11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 118 | 107 | 0.907 | 0 |
| 09/10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 86 | 0.945 | 1 |
| 08/09 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 99 | 0.943 | 0 |
First off, it just goes to show how bad the Sabres were in 2013/14, in the sense that they received such dominant goaltending, yet lost every game in regulation. But as you can see, while he’s never started off quite this strong, Miller has almost always come out of the gate looking like the best goalie in hockey. It’s just a matter of how long he can hold on to that, before heading back to the land of above average.
Don’t get me wrong. I hope it lasts, but given his history, I don’t want the Canucks to do something crazy like commit 60+ games to him based off of a hot start. Jacob Markstrom should be back soon enough, and he’s going to want to play a little too.
With all of that considered, here is my question; how often you play Miller until Markstrom comes back? Do you make Richard Bachman feel like he doesn’t exist, run the tables, and worry about the regression and commitment risks later? Do you give Miller some room to rest, in hopes it keeps him fresh and allows for Markstrom to come in unthreatened? Do you flip a coin before every game?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
From Last Week
Last week, we asked you how you planned on watching the season opener. These were your responses:
Chungus
Watching it at home, by myself, wearing nothing but my jersey, with empty cans of beer littered around me because I live in TX.
Crobear
Watching at home, by myself – nobody will have to listen to me trashing the Flames. Took quite an afternoon nap to be able to stay awake through the game as the puck drop is 4am my local time.
Trigger Ben
Vintage Psychedelic Skate sweatshirt all day at work, come game time i’ll don my newest jersey which is a Jovanovski I picked up at a garage sale for $3!
PB
Stay up late on the east coast pretending to do work so I can shirk my responsibilities to my family and hope that if we lose it’s a blowout and not have to invest three hours to lose late.
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