The Florida Panthers aren’t one of the better offensive teams in the league, but lately they’ve been the only squad able to solve Ryan Miller. The Canucks goaltender led Vancouver to a 2-1 victory, but he came just short of earning a third consecutive shutout.
Miller’s run of perfection was broken with just 2:32 minutes left in regulation time courtesy of a quick shot off the draw by Brandon Pirri:
The 34-year-old netminder ended up silencing the competition for 200:45 straight minutes, which is a new personal best.
“It was fun while it lasted,” Miller said, per the Canucks’ Twitter feed. “The most important thing was we got the two points.”
It probably doesn’t hurt that he managed to outduel Vancouver’s old number one goalie, Roberto Luongo, in the process. Luongo came out on top when they faced each other on Jan. 8. There are no contests left between these two squads in 2014-15, so the netminders will have to live with the draw.
Of course, Miller has other matters on his mind as the Canucks’ playoff spot is far from guaranteed. His recent hot streak has helped, but Vancouver has a tough contest ahead of it tomorrow against Tampa Bay.
All indications that Ryan Miller will play his 2nd back to back on this trip, tomorrow night in Tampa. Have been told he feels good to go.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) January 20, 2015