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Miller gets first shutout with Blues in win vs. Flyers

St. Louis Blues v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 25: Ryan Miller #39 of the St. Louis Blues waits for play to resume against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 25, 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blues defeated the Leafs 5-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Claus Andersen

Once Ryan Miller got over the shock of being traded from the Buffalo Sabres, he probably envisioned winning games like he did on Tuesday.

The U.S.-born netminder earned his first shutout with the St. Louis Blues tonight, stopping all 31 Philadelphia Flyers shots. Actually, both Miller and Ray Emery technically earned shutouts, but the former got the win as the Blues won 1-0 via the shootout.

And, yes, T.J. Oshie continued his brilliant shootout work with a goal in that format.

Miller, Blues keep climbing

Miller, 33, actually went quite a while without a shutout. He didn’t register one in 40 games this season with Buffalo or 40 with the Sabres in 2012-13. His most recent one came on March 21, 2012 against the Montreal Canadiens.

With this win, the Blues beef up their lead on the Western Conference’s top seed, giving them four wins in their last five games.

Flyers hit a rough patch

The Flyers are hitting a bit of a speed bump on their end. With two consecutive shootout losses, they’ve now lost four of five. That being said, this was a tough run of games, with two games apiece against the Pittsburgh Penguins (March 15 and 16), St. Louis Blues (today and March 22) and single matchups against substantial competition since mid-March. They’ve only faltered recently, so it’s not necessarily time to be too concerned.

Even so, Thursday’s home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets should be an interesting test, as Columbus is four points behind Philadelphia.

Update: The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks, so here’s an updated look at the East:

updatedfools

James OBrien

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins