J.T. Miller expressed his disappointment with the Vancouver Canucks’ lackluster performance during their 6-0 home loss to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. The defeat, marked by a shutout against Nico Hischier and his team, was seen as unacceptable by Miller and his teammates, as it did not meet the standards they set for themselves or that fans expect.
After the game, Miller highlighted the team’s struggles, saying, “We make it way too easy on the other team. There’s not enough ‘F-you’ in our game,” as quoted by TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
There was a moment of aggression from the Canucks when winger Conor Garland fought Devils forward Erik Haula. Despite being significantly outmatched and losing the bout, Miller felt that such efforts should have energized the team. He remarked, “You’d think maybe we’d play a little better after that. That sucks. The guy gets punched in the head for you, and you’d think maybe that would light the team.” He praised Garland’s fight, saying, “Gars does an unbelievable job in that scrap. That was a hell of a fight.”
Miller emphasized that the team has yet to play a full 60 minutes aligned with their identity this season, stating they need to play harder and with a genuine desire to win, rather than merely hoping for victory.
However, Miller himself was not without blame in this loss. He made a critical mistake that led to a crucial goal for the Devils. While attempting to hand off a puck to Quinn Hughes at the blue line, Miller’s plan went awry, allowing Hischier to steal the puck and create a scoring opportunity. Although Miller was the only defender back, he managed to disrupt Hischier’s pass. Still, the play resulted in a shorthanded goal by Dawson Mercer, making the score 2-0 and leaving the Canucks unable to recover.
This loss served as a wake-up call for the Canucks, who are set to face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, a team currently riding a two-game win streak.
