Oilers 3, Canucks 2 (SO): A season for the ages from JT Miller

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EDMONTON — Whatever happens with JT Miller this summer, his 2021-22 NHL season will be one that will be talked about for years.

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Miller didn’t get to 100 points on the year, but to be listed alongside Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Markus Naslund, Alex Mogilny and Pavel Bure isn’t something to sniff at.

It’s a statement about a quality player hitting all his marks.

All of the previous five Canucks to hit triple digits were among the game’s best — but none were regulars to hit the century mark. It’s hard to do.

Miller picked up a goal Friday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, as his visiting Vancouver Canucks skated to a 3-2 shootout loss against a playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers. That gave him 99 points on the season, ninth-most in the league.

The goal was also his 18th point in 13 games in April, a strong finish to a season where he’s never taken his foot off the gas.

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Head coach Bruce Boudreau praised Miller’s season long effort, especially his energy and competitiveness.

“When he plays to his capabilities, this team usually wins,” he said.

Boudreau was pleased how his team battled to the end, even in a mean-nothing game, their second game in two nights.

“I told them I was really proud of them. We can take maybe four or five games that we didn’t start out very well and got our butts kicked but out of the 50-some games that I was here, the effort was there almost every day and that’s all you really can ask, ” he said.

Conor Garland scored the Canucks’ other goal, while the Oilers’ goals were scored by defensemen Brett Kulak and Tyson Barrie.

“We were obviously trying to get him 100 today so that one stung,” Garland said. “I was looking for (Miller) lots tonight. I thought when he got that first one for sure we got it early enough and it just stinks. We had a couple of chances too.”

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The shootout winner was scored by the Oilers’ Devin Shore.

Here’s what we learned…

The Canucks’ Miller Dilemma

Miller, who just turned 29, has one more year on his contract. He’ll be 30 when his new deal starts.

Canucks fans need only remember that Loui Eriksson was 30 when he signed his disastrous six-year deal in 2016.

Miller just had the best season of his career. And since joining the Canucks, he’s been one of their most consistent and best players.

The question for the Canucks is, how long can he sustain it?

General manager Patrik Allvin was clear when he spoke with Postmedia earlier this month: the team has some great players, but lacks the kind of superstar you can truly commit a large portion of your salary cap to, like his old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were able to do with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

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Given how he’s played here and how much coach Bruce Boudreau likes his play, there’s a good chance he’ll be a top dog here for several seasons to come.

But there are only so many money-making opportunities in any player’s career, and in Miller’s case, assuming he has another strong season, he could do well in free agency.

another fine performance

The Canucks have clearly committed to Spencer Martin as their backup for next season and his performance Friday, his second in two nights and third of the week, was evidence in his favour.

He was pressed into emergency duty this week after Thatcher Demko apparently hit a physical wall on last week’s road trip in Minnesota and Calgary — his specific injury is unknown, but he didn’t look himself on several goals against — and Jaro Halák injured his hand in last week’s loss to the Ottawa Senators.

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The Oilers may have been missing their stars — both Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were scratched, giving them some rest ahead of their playoff series vs. Los Angeles — but they still tested Martin more than once.

Martin, as he has in every start this season for Vancouver, never looked flustered. He gave his team a chance to win, making a number of tough stops, and when you’re a backup goalie, that’s all your team asks.

The coach question

The other big question on the night: what is Boudreau’s future?

“Just waiting till the end of the year. So we do n’t need to ask any questions about that, ”he said Thursday morning when asked about his contract situation from him. It’s understood his deal from him has a team option for next year. He hasn’t talked much about his contract situation, but when he’s opened the door, he’s made it clear he likes Vancouver.

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The coach helped his team find another gear after he took over. They weren’t perfect in their efforts and they did come up short in the playoffs, but he won far more than he lost and it’s hard not to wonder how he might do with a better constructed lineup, one that doesn’t have to lean so heavily on its goaltenders night after night over a full season.

He earned the adulation of the fans, who once again serenaded him with the “Bruce, there it is,” chant on Thursday night, the last home game of the season. A small group of Canucks fans in Edmonton on Friday night also poured their energies into the chant early in the third period, shortly after Garland’s goal.

“Nothing like that has ever happened to me before,” Boudreau said Thursday. In the past he’d said he did not like the fans chanting his name, but he finally admitted it was more out of modesty than anything.

“You just sort of go put the attention somewhere else,” he said.

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