In what was the team’s longest shootout marathon of the season, the Rangers needed nine rounds to take down the Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, and had to turn to defenseman K’Andre Miller for the ninth round.
Miller, in his second year in the league and having zero previous shootout attempts to his credit, made it clear afterward that he did not offer his services to head coach Gerard Gallant.
“No, definitely not,” Miller laughed. “Coach kind of turned to me…I was like ‘Really, you want me? Did I hear this right?’ but it was a fun opportunity and I’m glad I made the most of it.”
Miller beat Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman to win it for the Rangers, improving the team’s shootout record to 4-1 on the season, tied for the most shootout victories in the league this season. Their latest win came from an unlikely source in the 22-year-old Miller, who has looked more and more reliable for the Blueshirts on both ends of the ice.
“From Game 10 on, he’s been really confident,” Gallant said. “Like any other young defenseman, they play really well, make some real good plays, and then they make some bad plays, a couple defensive-zone plays. That’s every player in the NHL. But he’s confident, he feels good about his game and scoring the shootout winner is pretty good for him tonight.”
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