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TNT crew rips ex-Rangers defenseman after costly gaffe in Game 1 of ECF
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- TNT crew rips ex-Rangers defenseman after costly gaffe in Game 1 of ECF
K'Andre Miller's defensive shortcomings were a big reason the New York Rangers were unwilling to make a long-term commitment to him – and instead traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes last July. That side of his game reared its head again in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday, when the Hurricanes lost 6-2 to the Montreal Canadiens .
The visitors took control of the game by scoring four times in the first period against the stunned and out of sync Hurricanes. Miller was to blame on the fourth of Montreal's goals, with a pretty serious gaffe costing his team.
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The Hurricanes trailed 3-1 midway through the opening period when Miller skated himself completely out of the play by racing toward the right boards in the neutral zone rather than covering the middle of the ice. That left plenty of space for Montreal rookie Ivan Demidov to take a pass from Alex Newhook , race in alone and beat Frederik Andersen at 11:32, putting the Canadiens up 4-1.
TNT's broadcast crew, including former Rangers Ed Olczyk, Wayne Gretzky and Henrik Lundqvist , wasted little time illustrating how Miller took himself out of position, allowing Demidov to score on a breakaway.
Olczyk, a member of the 1994 Cup-winning Rangers and a lead TNT analyst, was all over Miller's poor decision-making as soon as the goal was scored.
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"Where is K'Andre Miller going on that play in the middle of the ice," he said while watching the replay of the former Rangers defenseman make the wrong decision. "Look at all the open ice for Demidov."
The studio crew, which included Hockey Hall of Famers Gretzky and Lundqvist, also pointed out between periods that Miller should have stayed in the middle of the ice rather than going to the boards to leave Demidov wide open.
Gretzky noted that Miller might have gone puck-chasing because he was accustomed to having help in the middle, but that with the Hurricanes playing their first game since May 9, they were a bit out of step.
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"Miller is used to the center being there to back (him) up," The Great One said. "It didn't happen. They weren't backing up each other."
Lundqvist said the Hurricanes needed to avoid having players chasing the puck and taking themselves out of the play as Miller did on Demidov's goal. Carolina did much the same thing on Montreal's second goal, a breakaway tally by Philip Danault at 4:04 that was scored with the teams playing 4-on-4.
"I don't think they thought Montreal would play this fast," he said. "They're facing a team that relies on its speed. They need to simplify."
Former Rangers defenseman in wrong place, wrong time for Hurricanes in Game 1
Paul Bissonette, another member of TNT's studio crew, outlined in greater detail where Miller went wrong.
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"If you are K'Andre Miller, there is no need for you to go over to the wall to force things and open up the middle of the ice," Bissonette said. "[The Canadiens] simply took advantage of that."
It was no secret last summer that the Rangers were seeking to trade the inconsistent Miller, who was an RFA with arbitration rights. The Hurricanes met GM Chris Drury's asking price — the Rangers received rookie defenseman Scott Morrow, a first-round selection (No. 26 overall, originally belonging to the Dallas Stars ) and a second-rounder in this year's NHL Draft. Carolina then signed Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract .
He played 72 games with the 'Canes, finishing with eight goals and 37 points this season. He was plus-7 and averaged a career-high 22:24 TOI.
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Miller was on the ice for both of Carolina's goals Thursday and finished plus-1 in 21:17 of ice time. He had one shot on goal, three hits, one blocked shot, a giveaway and a takeaway. Miller's been very good in the postseason, with six assists and an average of more than 23 minutes TOI in nine games. His plus-10 rating is best on the Hurricanes and tied for third best among all skaters in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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His poor decision on Demidov's goal doesn't show up in the stats – but it was a huge blow to the Hurricanes, who lost for the first time after sweeping their first two best-of-7 series against the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers . But Miller's also a big reason why the Hurricanes sailed through the postseason to this point, and remains an important piece to their puzzle moving forward.
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