Quandre Miller knows there are no small moments or unimportant changes in the playoffs. The 24-year-old defenseman has been implementing a mindset on the ice that suits him and the Rangers this time of year.
he believes.
“I think the playoffs bring out the best in you. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Miller told the Post after Carolina’s prep session Thursday. “I think I play my best hockey and my smartest hockey when we have high-intensity games like this.
“I think this is who I have been throughout my career, being a big-time player who shows up and plays his best hockey when the stage is what it is.”
Miller was one of several opposing pairs on the team that swept the Caps in compulsory play, providing a dynamic presence on Braden Schneider’s left side. The defenseman participated in the play with his usual alertness and scored a stunning shorthanded goal in the second game, making it 3-on-2.
But at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he not only plays both puck and man in combat areas, but also when things can get out of hand in countless goalmouth scrums with whistles. They were more physically involved, both responding and intervening. Miller stepped up to handle Tom Wilson in Game 1 and TJ Oshie in Game 2.
Perhaps a whole new Quandre Miller has emerged since John Marino challenged him? —To throw down in a line brawl. No, not really, but number 79 is not something to be taken lightly.
“I think learning about myself over the last few years in this league has helped me understand when I can use that physical side and when I need to use that physical side,” he said after his fourth game. Miller said. years of his NHL and pro career. “These situations obviously manifest a little bit differently in the playoffs.
“The intensity is a little higher, the noise is a little louder, the checks are a little tougher. That’s the label, that’s the nature of the playoffs. I accept that.”
Miller may be 6-5, but he’s no Jeff Bukeboom. Lord, have you ever seen Beck try to rush the puck? But the point is, not all big men necessarily have the same game. By the way, sometimes violent force is not the antidote to talent.
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Back in 1997, Detroit coach Scott Bowman was tasked with playing the Flyers’ Legion of Doom, featuring Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and Michael Lemberg, in the Cup Final. People expected him to fight strength against strength and defensively against the physical Vlad Konstantinov and Slava Fetisov. Instead, Detroit went with the more finesse-oriented Nicklas Lidstrom and Larry Murphy. The Flyers swept as The Legion scored all three goals.
“The key is to use your physicality during combat, use your speed for positioning, use your stick for leverage, and use your stick to your advantage when defending. So you can actually defend without a weapon and play an intense game. There’s a lot of different ways to be a real physical defenseman,” head coach Peter Laviolette said Thursday. “I think he’s physically fit.
“I think he’s done a great job against the top line. He’s doing it his own way and it seems to be working.”
The Rangers shot 18-4-1 out of the blue. Mr. Miller’s year started a little more modestly. It took months for the defenseman to gain attention and build a season. He accomplished that while skating with Schneider in an intact pair for 17 of the past 24 games, including the Washington series. Both are spreading their wings.
“I think he’s been really great all year,” Laviolette said of Miller, who averaged 19 minutes, 53 seconds on ice against the Caps and 21 minutes, 34 seconds on the season. “He’s a player we expected to beat for a long time and against a tough opponent. He plays in all situations, he’s capable of that, and he did a great job on the penalty kill.
“I think there has been growth and progress this year. Like I said, there are always ups and downs during a season for any player, but for the most part he had a really strong season, a really positive season. think.”
The Rangers accepted the job against Washington. But they know that same level of play won’t be enough as they await Game 2 against a Carolina team that finished third in the NHL with 111 points, three points behind the Blueshirts. Self-awareness has been one of the club’s biggest strengths throughout the season.
“I thought from this series that we know how to win hockey games even when we’re not at our best,” Miller said. “Obviously, the players here know we have to get better the rest of the way.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to eliminate these blunders and non-playoff plays. One of the biggest things we can take away from this week is that we learned that we can be better. is.”
It’s time to level up.
It’s mirror time.
