The final stretch of the NHL season is an important part of the schedule and with 12 games left in the regular season, J.T. Miller is focusing on his process.
The Canucks are taking one game at a time, staying present and setting their sights on the game in front of them with the expectation that taking care of business every night will help them prepare for the postseason.
Miller is leading the Canucks with 89 points (33-56-89) this season. In the last eight games he’s had three goals and four assists. He’s also second on the team from the faceoff circle at 55.3%, and in hits with 191.
Miller talks about making sure he’s moving his feet and being physical and the results will come. Making a concerted effort to those staples pave the way for consistency in his play and opens things up for him to facilitate for his teammates and driving play like he’s being doing all season.
“I pride myself on not taking many nights off, meaning physicality and skating hard, those are my two keys. When I'm doing those typically the rest of the game follows.” Miller said.
Miller said he was told from an early age (as a 12-year-old on car rides home with dad) that working on the fundamentals and doing those things well separates the wheat from the chaff.
“I think I'm a pretty consistent player and I wasn't always like that – that was probably one of my downfalls when I was younger – but now I realized that to be on your game and it takes only a couple of little things. Consistency has helped me, and I've created a level and a standard for myself on a nightly basis that it's easy for me to look at. ‘Hey, did you do these two things?’ Yeah. Then I probably played pretty well, and if I wasn't, it's pretty easy to tell that I wasn’t on my game.”
That patented Miller passion is in every play and his ability to find another gear – the X-factor at this time of year. Through the highs and lows of the season he treats every game the same and approaches it with intensity.
“I just think the team's play is speaking for itself and making everybody look good. It's allowing me to play a more calm style when I look up and we're playing with the two-goal lead most nights, but I still play with the same amount of emotion as I did last year,” he said.
He felt his instincts were sharp throughout February and he’s maintained that momentum over the last month.
At the end of February, Miller’s linemate Brock Boeser talked about how Miller influences the pace on their line and the energy he brings to the team.
“Anytime he’s flying around trying to hit guys, has the puck in the offensive zone and making plays, I think it gives momentum for our team. At least for me, I can feel it on our line,” Boeser said.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet thought Miller was “excellent” on the power play against the Buffalo Sabres earlier this week, getting open looks for his teammates. Miller’s nose for the net, ability to dissect defences and be an extension of the coaching staff on the ice will all help Vancouver down the stretch.
Miller keeps the talk going on the bench and says he’s always trying to be a better communicator and leader for his teammates. Between shifts they’re constantly working through the game, usually talking about what they’re seeing on offence, but it also extends to special teams and things they’d like to clean up.
“It’s power play stuff and penalty kill stuff [sometimes]. We use the iPads, we don't want to be on the iPads too much, but sometimes it's good to see what they were showing on a certain play or, is their D trying to double up on us, is something we can look for. It's typically with the puck stuff we’re looking at if we made a mistake, go back see why and try to prevent it next time,” Miller said.
The team is comfortable in their systems, adding new plays into the fold to help keep things fresh.
Miller’s focused and he likes how dialed in the group is at this point in the season.
"I see the potential of the group and what we can achieve as a team. We're getting to that point of the year where it's going to be really fun and we'll learn a lot about ourselves. When you learn more, you just naturally start to focus a little more. You understand the team goal and the common goal of the group and as we're getting to that time of year when it's really fun to play in the NHL,” Miller said.
In an important part of the season, everything that’s helped Miller and the Canucks get to this point is important. Miller’s leadership and reliability will help guide them as they take it game by game.
