VANCOUVER 鈥� On a desperate hockey team J.T. Miller is proving to be one of the most dangerous Vancouver Canucks.
Miller scored a big goal on a great individual effort in the third period and collected three assists to lead the Canucks to a 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night that helped keep Vancouver鈥檚 thin NHL playoff hopes alive.
鈥淲e have to do that every game,鈥� said Miller, who extended his points streak to 10 games, collecting 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be perfect all the time.
鈥淲e need to find a way to get two points. We have to be desperate every game.鈥�
Elias Pettersson and Brock Boese, both on the power play, and Travis Hamonic also scored for the Canucks (29-23-6). Bo Horvat added an empty-net goal. Vancouver has won three straight games and are 8-2-0 in their last 10.
Artturi Lehkonen scored twice and had an assist while Rem Pitlick had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens (15-35-7), who suffered just their second loss in the last nine games. Lehkonen has six goals and two assists in his last five games.
With 64 points, the Canucks trail the Dallas Stars by three points for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Vancouver also must leapfrog over the Edmonton Oilers who have 66 points.
The Canucks have played two more games than Dallas.
鈥淎ll of us want to make the playoffs,鈥� said Pettersson. 鈥淲hen you make the playoffs, you don鈥檛 know what can happen.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited for that, but we have to live in the moment, take it day by day, not focus on we have to win this amount of games. We鈥檝e just got to focus on what we can control.鈥�
Miller gave the Canucks at 3-2 lead early in the third period when he stole the puck off Montreal鈥檚 Cole Caufield at the blue line, skated in alone, then wired a wrist shot that beat Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault over the glove hand.
鈥淚 probably got away with a slash,鈥� said Miller who has 67 points, including 23 goals, this season. 鈥淚 knew who ever the D-man was he would probably beat me to the net. I just tried to let it rip as hard as I could.鈥�
Miller also assisted on Pettersson鈥檚 power-play goal just a few minutes later, making a pretty drop pass that helped the slick Swede score his 18th of the season.
Pettersson said it鈥檚 a joy to watch Miller play.
鈥淗e鈥檚 playing amazing now, leading the team,鈥� said Pettersson. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always vocal, always working hard. He鈥檚 always keeping us in check. It鈥檚 great to have him.鈥�
Coach Bruce Boudreau said Miller backs up his words in the dressing room with his play on the ice.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes the stars, stars,鈥� said Boudreau. 鈥淚n big moments they make big plays.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not always pretty but we鈥檝e got the guys leading the team.鈥�
It was a rollercoaster night for the Canadiens. They scored the game鈥檚 first goal, fell behind, then battled back to make it 2-2 after 40 minutes.
With the Canucks leading 4-2 late in the third period, Pitlick gave Montreal a chance, scoring with Montembeault on the bench for an extra attacker.
鈥淲e all thought it was a good game,鈥� said Pitlick. 鈥淚t was back and forth, and we almost climbed back into it at the end. We鈥檝e been playing really good hockey and I think we鈥檙e all very comfortable with our game. We all believe in each other.
鈥淲e all understand we can be a really good team so we鈥檙e going to keep pushing forward.鈥�
Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said mistakes cost his team.
鈥淚t was that kind of game you knew it wasn鈥檛 going to be perfect,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were just trying to find a way to win that game. We just didn鈥檛 do that in the third.鈥�
Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko stopped 22 shots while Montembeault made 28 saves.
Notes: Vancouver opened a seven-game homestand. 鈥� The Canucks dedicated proceeds from the $1 million 50/50 jackpot to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis appeal through the Red Cross of sa国际传媒. 鈥� Former Canadiens superstar Guy Lafleur, who is battling lung cancer, was named Wednesday to the Order of Hockey in sa国际传媒 as a Distinguished Honouree for 2022. 鈥� Prior to the game, seven members of sa国际传媒鈥檚 2022 Winter Olympic team were honoured, including Cassie Sharpe, a silver medallist in halfpipe freestyle skiing, and Micah Zandee-Hart, a defenceman with the gold-medal winning women's hockey team.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
