"I've been working on my positioning, trying to get in my shot lanes sooner", an exhausted Ryan Miller told Rob Ray on the MSG postgame show following the Sabres 3-1 come-from-behind win in Montreal.
Good thing, considering the Montreal Canadiens locked Miller's Sabres into a staright jacket.
Miller looked like Harry Houdini, and impressively escaped the perilous restraints, in a game that the Sabres had no right winning.
Score an assist to Jhonas Enroth for this win, as the super Swede stood on his head in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, which gave Miller the chance to rest, relax and work on the most minute detials of his preparation.
Ruff may be on to something by resting Miller in back-to-back games.
Miller was masterful in this one, making 40 saves on 41 Montreal shots.
This was vintage Miller, making the sublime seem ordinary and the ordinary sublime.
Were it not for Miller's heroics, this game would have ended after twenty minutes. Montreal threw everything but the skate sharpening machine at the Sabres in the first period. They pelted Miller from all angles and sent a persistent stream of pucks at Miller, who was sgarp as a tack when his team was not.
All 12 forwards and all 6 D played like they were in a hypnotic trance in period one. They were slow to react to Montreal's forecheck and were often over worked for loose pucks and rebounds. Sloppy puck management and dumb turnovers sabbotaged the Sabres in the first period.
Montreal scored first, and in the end, that goal served as a bucket of ice water that was being thrown in the Sabres face.
They responded by scoring the next two, with Jordan Leopold and Thomas Vanek scoring huge goals while their team was being grossly outshot.
Miller was stellar.
He made himself big, and he challenged the shooters from the top of his crease. He shuttled post to post with efficiency. His glove hand was impeccable. His anticipation was laser like, as he jumped into shot lanes sooner. Miller's brilliance frustrated the Canadiens.
Ehrhoff added an empty netter to clinch the win.
Roy, Pominville, Vanek, and Sekera were +2 apiece in the game.
Bottomline: It doesn't matter how you start the game. Its how you end it.
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