Ryan Miller has lost four games in a row. There’s no word on when he’ll get to end the losing streak. The Sabres’ goaltender made it clear, however, he definitely (and explicitly) wants to end it.
“I’m here to win,’’ Miller said today after practice in First Niagara Center. “That’s the emotion you get from me. If I’m discouraged, if I’m [ticked] off, that’s just how it is. I want to win. I don’t want to be out there getting scored on. I don’t want to be pulled out of a game. I want to, you know, I want to [expletive] win the game.”
The F-bomb put an exclamation point on a rough week for the goaltender, who was pulled less than seven minutes into Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Philadelphia and had to watch from the bench as Jhonas Enroth beat Calgary and Ottawa on Friday and Saturday.
The game against the Senators was the first time Miller had sat consecutive games while healthy in nearly five years.
“You want to play," Miller said. “My last outing wasn’t the way you like to leave the ice. You want to go out and do your job, and the next chance I get I’ll be ready.
“We got a solid win, and Jhonas played well. It’s not all that surprising. But for me, I pride myself on being able to get back in net, get back in the saddle. To have to wait about a week for that is not ideal for me. I’m going to do my best when Lindy tells me it’s time to go.”
Ruff refused to divulge who will play Tuesday when the Sabres host Winnipeg.
“I’m just trying to do everything that’s in my control," Miller said. “You can’t always control what happens in front of you or the coach’s decision or anything. You just have to react to it. Goaltenders are judged on how they react, whether it’s the puck going in or if they make the save or if they get pulled out of the game or if when they get put back in. It’s all about how you react. I’m just trying to do my best to be ready to react in a way that helps this club.”
The audio files of Miller’s chat – minus the expletive at the 4:55 mark – and Ruff’s news conference are below.
--John Vogl
Ryan Miller
Download audio
Lindy Ruff
Download audio
