The Vancouver Canucks refuse to quit. If their stunning comeback in Game 4 of the first round wasn’t enough proof, how about a rally from down 4-1 to defeat the high-powered Edmonton Oilers?
J.T. Miller was the catalyst on Wednesday night, restoring his teammates’ faith each time the opposition drew blood. While they struggled to find their footing, the veteran forward hounded the puck and attacked the middle of the ice in relentless fashion. He simply wouldn’t take no for an answer.
This second-period shift illustrates the kind of work he put in:
After an Oilers rim, Miller (VAN 9) both pins and undercuts Evander Kane (EDM 91) along the wall, giving him dibs on the loose puck. Although Brock Boeser’s (VAN 6) shot from the right dot is blocked, this sequence captures the heft and quick-strike offense that defined Miller’s Game 1. He was fixing to kick down the door throughout the contest.
He eventually did in the third frame:
As Carson Soucy (VAN 7) recovers the puck and swings it wide to Boeser, Miller stations himself at the goal line. Since he’s off to the side, Darnell Nurse (EDM 25) isn’t willing to blanket him. The open blade invites a pass, Boeser obliges and Miller executes the ol’ Crosby Chip past Stuart Skinner (EDM 74).
His second goal of the playoffs cut Edmonton’s lead to one and generated a tidal wave of energy from the crowd as well as the Canucks. They would score two more times in the next five minutes.
Not known as a shutdown player, Miller was plenty useful in the dying moments of the contest too. Watch as he prioritizes and erases the biggest threat:
6’1”, 218-pound power forwards are meant to make life difficult for opponents, and that’s precisely what Miller did all over the ice in Game 1. His vision and competitiveness allowed Vancouver to claw back into the fight and land the knockout blow. A huge performance to preserve home-ice advantage.
Here are the full highlights: