Factoid: Miller has had several bad games this year. Yes, our defensemen can leave him out to dry at times. That is another issue in itself. Still, a goaltender is a defensive player, a defenseman with pads who guards the net. If you have one bad game, you follow that up with several good games. There have been numerous occassions this season he followed up with weaker efforts. Those efforts call for his head, balls, etc. You are expected to play at standards that win games, period.

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Let's go Buffalo!

I love the above post.

Head, balls, etc.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Today's poll on WGR550's website just takes the cake.

Should Ryan Miller be part of the "core" going forward with Terry Pegula?

Fucking joke this town is. You can be critical without being a fuckstick. Good reporters do that.

I don't think we have any.

Yeah, for as much as I bag on Miller for being (opinion) overpaid (although he's way better than the two assholes above him, Lundqvist and Ward), I wouldn't mind keeping him. Better to eat up the available cap space and deal some other players to see what kind of team we can put in front of him before we want to start exploring what we can get in return for shipping him out of Buffalo.

I've soured recently on a lot of media people in WNY lately. I thought some of the conversations you and myself have had with Harrington were pretty telling. He can sit in his little chair and be a tough guy to Golisano, but the second someone starts commenting negatively on his performance as a journalist, he's the biggest baby there is. Can dish it out but can't take it.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Yeah. I have a half a blog post written about that. Didn't put it up last night as I had to finish a paper for school.

I cant' stand how out media members inject themselves into a story when they don't need to, and also instantly crap on any fan opinion that doesn't jive with theirs. I fail to understand how a BA in journalism qualifies someone to know more about a sport than anyone else. Many around here take that attitude.

Or ask an athlete dumbass questions in the hope they'll blow up (though this secretly entertains me). Ryan Miller, you just possibly played your worst game since your first one in the NHL...how do you feel?! WOOO I'm going to Disneyworld!

Not quite...apparently.

Yeah, it was the "you don't understand how journalism works" attitude that got me. It's like, well, you don't understand how to run a hockey team, so maybe you should quit acting like you do... Aren't those journalists fond of tossing around a certain Rick Martin quote on that subject?

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Exactly.

I'll crap on Larry Quinn because no experience running a hockey team, but my next column will be all about how the Sabres should run a hockey team based on my long and illustrious career of having no experience running a hockey team.

I gotta agree here. Build a little better team around him, get him a competent back-up and dont ride the poor guy as hard... Miller has played 45 games this year so far... with what, 30 in a row...thats 6th on the 2010/11 season with Price topping it at 50 for the year... But my guess is none of the top 5 were out for a month and none of them played 30 in a row, not sure how to look that up... Price-50, Ward-50, Kipper-49, Hiller-48, Flower-46, Miller-45, Bryzglov-45

I love LaLa's emotion, maybe he should be a goalie coach, or get Rivet'ed (captain from the press box), emotional goalie leader from the press box?)... but if you can NOT relay on LaLa for even two games out of the 30 game stretch, you are simply doing Miller a disservice, especially with the injury... and no, we don't know if its still bothering him... but I do know that other than last year, it simply does not work well to ride miller as hard as we are... I know thats what he wants... but thats where lindy needs to do a little better job, handling the goalie ice time without hurting his ego...

now with one bad game game down, he is going to be determined to play what 32 in a row to try and redeem himself... its a bad cycle to get into, miller should have sat sunday and thats on Ruff!

Hokey is a team sport, you win as a team, the back up goalie is part of the team for a reason...

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Miller had a crap game. It happens to best of them and he IS one of the best. Giving who plays in front of him I think we should be extremely happy (except for the first month of the season) with how he has done. Add to it that he's played 30 in a row, well I'm not worried. He won't be going anywhere despite the media being a bunch of d-bags.

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Lalime needs to go. Now. Hire him within the organization in another roll if they have too. If Ryan continues to want him around. We need a backup and Miller needs a game or two breather now and then.

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--Scott

Miller is elevated beyond what he truly is...a good goaltender - not a great one, not an elite one. In his entire 6 year career here to date, aside from the Vezina year, he has been among the top 10 in GAA or SV% just once (2008-2009). Yeah, stats don't mean everything, but aside from last year's phenom, it's difficult to argue that his career to date has been marked by excellence. And at age 30, given his workload, it's hard to envision that he's going to get better over the next few years.

I also find it maddening that in public, Miller rarely takes himself to task for poor play, but isn't shy about calling out the team in front of him not playing aggressively enough or making too many mistakes. But the reality is that this season, he is just as much to blame as anyone else for games lost. It's actually quite surprising (and refreshing) that the run since late December has had little to do with Miller -- 2.89 GAA, .908 SV%.

Part of the problem is Lindy Ruff's unwavering commitment to Miller. I mean he wont start a back up against a teams 5th stringer, he wont pull Miller when he's obviously not razor sharp, and he wont even give him a night off in back to back game situations. He sees a lot of shots every period and a lot of high quality scoring chances.

Don't get me wrong, I want Miller to play 65-70 games a year, I just think they need to spread out the playing time a little. It's good for team morale to make your back up feel like a part of the team and it's good for Miller to get to root for the back up once in awhile. It helps to keep everybody fresh and focused.

That's my 2 cents, I know Ruff knows more about coaching and his players then I even care to imagine.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Two words; Tim Thomas.

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Wheelhouse

What are you talking about? Why does everyone say that? In Miller's interview last night, after he called out Vogl and Sully, he told Paul Hamilton he made a mistake. All because he's willing to call out his fellow teammates, in so many words, doesn't mean he shys away from his own criticism. People for years have been saying Miller will always point the finger at someone else instead of himself, but for years I've heard him own up to his own shortcomings.

Your arguments are weak since you're only basing them off stats, give me a break.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

No kidding.

I've heard Miller say 'I have to be better on that play', and 'We all have to play better, and it starts with me' about a zillion times in postgame interviews.

That first Grabner goal... I've seen Miller make that play 100 times, and I've seen our defense successfully stand up the forward attempting the wrap around on the back side.

Miller's big numbers last year had a lot to do with the sound defensive play in our own zone. We haven't been as good there this season.

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Wheelhouse

Gotta say, Harrington's willingness to discuss that kerfuffle yesterday with a ton of fans makes me respect him even more.

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mechaphil

Hey - I'm calling it as I see it, and I disagree with you. I've seen it many times in sports where captains and leaders talk about themselves before they call out anyone else. Miller does it less frequently and begrudgingly. When's the last time you heard him say - "It starts with me. I've got to start looking myself in the mirror to see how I can play better". More often than not, he just mumbles about how he gave up a bad goal rather than say he's not getting it done and handles criticism poorly. I just wonder how the team reacts to that - I have no idea, not being in the locker room.

And yeah, stats are telling sometimes. You're on the opposite end of the spectrum and seem to disregard them altogether. Anyone that's watched the last 18-20 games can see that the team is winning much more on account of the improved play of Stafford, Ennis, Vanek, Sekera, and Myers (past couple of games), rather than the play of Miller. Yeah, he's made great saves periodically, but isn't that what goalies are supposed to do?

That's just downright false. Go back and listen to every postgame you can find. Miller admits to his own mistakes constantly.

EDIT: Fuck, listen to LAST NIGHT'S postgame. He admitted to Paul Hamilton that he made a mistake on one of the goals.

Truth be told, I miss Dom. No one will ever replace him.

Miller has been off this year, no question. Who knows why. Great players have off years, I'm not that worried about it at this point. Who knows, he could get hot at the end of the year here and we might ride that streak deep in the playoffs. I hate it and I have been harping on him all year, but I'm not worried about it. It's good to see the TEAM win games instead of Miller winning games. I've enjoyed this season much more than the last few personally.