In one of the most uncanny statistics in the National Hockey League this season, the Vancouver Canucks have not lost a game since November 14 when center J.T. Miller of East Palestine, OH collects a point. In the last 16 games that Miller has registered a point on the scoresheet, the Canucks have had a spectacular record of 14 wins and two losses in extra time. He, head coach Bruce Boudreau, and goaltender and Vezina Trophy candidate Thatcher Demko are three big reasons why the Canucks have got back into the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.
In the 16 Canucks wins in over the last two months, Miller has eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points. It was Miller’s last game during a 5-1 Canucks won over Winnipeg on Thursday, which was his best game this season. He had three goals and one assist for four points. It was Miller’s second career hat trick, but the first of his NHL career in leading his team to victory in a three-goal game. Miller’s previous hat trick came in a 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators while with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 13, 2018 from central Florida.
In the hat trick performance on Thursday, Miller scored on 60% of his shot attempts as he had five shots on goal. He opened the scoring on the power play at 13:23 of the first period from Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson. Miller then put the Canucks up 2-1 with the game-winning goal of the hockey game at 5:25 of the second period from Boeser and Luke Schenn. Then Miller put the Canucks up 3-1 with an insurance marker from Schenn and Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 12:55 of the second period.
This was the first Canucks win with their new general manager Patrik Allvin at the helm. Allvin was hired on January 27 to replace Jim Benning. The Canucks also made hockey history by becoming the first NHL team ever to hire a female assistant general manager in Emilie Castonguay.
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