Post Classifieds
Ryan Miller's years are being wasted away playing for abysmal Sabres
By Chris Losey
On February 20, 2013
Goaltender Ryan Miller has been one of the lone bright spots on a faltering Buffalo Sabres team this
year, which has compiled a poor win-loss record despite high hopes entering the 2013 NHL season.
Ever since his emergence into the NHL in 2002, Miller has matured into one of the NHL's elite
goaltenders. After splitting time between Buffalo and its AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, during
his first three years as a professional, he was named the Sabres' starting goaltender for the 2005-06
season.
Miller played well in his first few seasons as the starter, leading Buffalo to consecutive Eastern
Conference Finals appearances and the NHL's best record in 2006-07. A career year in 2009-10 saw
Miller carry the Sabres to a Northeast Division title, while posting a .929 save percentage and 41 wins.
That year, he also led the United States to a silver medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,
taking home tournament MVP honors. It also rocketed Miller towards superstardom, because of his
performance on the international stage and his marriage to Hollywood actress Noureen DeWulf.
From that point on, there was no debate that Ryan Miller was the soul of the Buffalo Sabres, and if he
faltered, so did the team.
Miller began the 2011-12 season with little success, and Buffalo plummeted to the bottom of the
conference. It wasn't until Miller roared back, posting a .932 save percentage and 20-6-5 record down
the stretch, that the Sabres contended for a playoff spot. They narrowly missed the cutoff, finishing
ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Because of a second NHL lockout in the last decade, the 2012-13 season was shortened to 48 games.
The Sabres entered the year with high hopes, looking to extend their hot streak from last year.
Dogged by critics because of more pedestrian statistics over the previous two seasons, many believed
the team's success would depend on the play of Miller. He and the Sabres got out of the gates with two
wins, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 in the season opener on Jan. 20. They then beat division rival
Toronto 2-1, but were outshot 35-20, forcing Miller to be spectacular.
Over the next few games, the play of the Buffalo's defensemen declined significantly. Marquee
defenseman Tyler Myers looked especially lost, making poor decisions with the puck and committing
crucial errors in the defensive zone.
Since winning their first two, Buffalo lost 10 of their next 14. Because of the poor defensive play and lack
of scoring from the team as a whole, the Sabres have relied on Miller to bail them out of bad situations.
Miller has faced a league-leading 466 shots as of Feb. 18, and has stopped a league high 426 of them.
Buffalo continues to get outshot night in and night out, forcing Miller to play his best hockey just to keep
the games close. He's had to play better than he ever has, because of the poor situations his teammates
put him in. Although his statistics may not show it, one could argue that Miller is playing even better
than he did during that prominent 2009-10 campaign.
Miller's goaltending style is described as a hybrid between the stand-up and butterfly styles. This
year, however, sees Miller adopting aspects of the "flopper" style, the signature of former Sabre great
Dominik Hasek. Miller has had to play a more aggressive game, which sees him flopping around the
crease to make desperation saves.
Miller's frustrations reached a boiling point after a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh this past Sunday, when he
voiced his opinion in his postgame interview with the media.
When asked what was bugging him, Miller answered, "Well just [expletive] losing at the end, it's 3-3 you
get to overtime, it's 3-2, [expletive], make 'em come all the way down, [we] worked too hard...it's...I
don't know."
Miller's frustration with his team was very evident in his postgame comments. Although they play well
with Miller saving face for his team on multiple occasions, the Sabres still couldn't pull through with a
victory. One could only wonder how the team would fare without Miller being at the top of his game.
Miller has accomplished much in his hockey career, and the 32-year-old's contract is up after the 2013-
14 season. He has said numerous times that he wants to continue playing for Buffalo, and owner Terry
Pegula has stated that it is imperative to re-sign him.
But Miller deserves to be a Stanley Cup champion, and if the Sabres can't help him out, then the city of
Buffalo and its hockey club doesn't deserve Miller.
Chris Losey can be reached by email at losey.record@live.com.
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