It is what it is...Miller is an average goalie paid like a superstar...

[matter2003]

I am tired of hearing how Miller is an elite goalie. Year after year, he statistically is an average goalie, middle of the pack. He is not, nor will he likely ever be an elite goalie. Tim Thomas in an elite goalie. Even Alex Auld has better stats than Miller with Ottawa. Buffalo is not an overly defensive minded team, but at the same time, neither are some of the other teams whose goalies clearly perform better than Miller on a nightly basis.

 

His statistics year after year are remarkably consistent. What you get is a goalie who allows an average of 2.5-2.7 goals per game, and he stops 91% of his shots. Just not good enough in today's NHL when numerous other goalies are sporting sub or near 2.00 GAA's and .920+ save percentages.

 

Miller needs to step up and justify his contract, which I don't think he can do, because he just isn't that good. Buffalo is stuck with an average goalie getting paid like a superstar.

[sabrezman61]

I couldn't agree more. I've been saying that all season.

[Stoner]

I couldn't agree more. I've been saying that all season.

 

Member since 2005 here.

[JujuFish]

No, he actually is a pretty good goalie. The problem is that he's a mental case.

[bob_sauve28]

The two goals against Toronto were...welll...strange. The MSG guys said he was screened on the first one, but the Toronto guy was off to the side, maybe Sakera screened him I don't know. That second goal that skipped on him? Wow, I don't know what to say, either real bad luck of he should have had it. Probably just bad luck

[sabrezman61]

The funny thing about Miller is he makes alot of great saves, then lets a week one in at the worst times. It really gets frustrating to watch. You almost always need a 2 goal lead to cover that weak one he lets in.

[Corp000085]

I think he's an above average regular season goalie, but he's absolutely money if the stakes are high or its the playoffs. He's a headcase too. It's very very hard to argue against his success in the two playoff runs. It's also hard to argue against against the fact that he's at the top of the middle of the pack during the regular season.

[Bmwolf21]

I think he's an above average regular season goalie, but he's absolutely money if the stakes are high or its the playoffs. He's a headcase too. It's very very hard to argue against his success in the two playoff runs. It's also hard to argue against against the fact that he's at the top of the middle of the pack during the regular season.

Bingo.

 

And Tim Thomas is an elite goalie? WTF? He's having a great year this year, but he was 2.44/.921 last year and 3.13/.905 the year before. He's a career 2.71/.916 goalie.

[Tony P]

He's a head case with a slow glove. He gets beat so many times high to the glove side that he reminds me of Gerry Desjardins after his eye surgery .

[carpandean]

If the team plays hard enough in front of him, he and Lalime are a good enough tandem (in roughly a 3:1 ratio) to get us to the playoffs where, as stated, he seems to step up. If the team is inconsistent, he will steal one or two, but not enough, and Lalime will sit for 8-10 games in a row, leading to poor starts and an overworked Miller.

[Guest Sloth]

I think he's an above average regular season goalie, but he's absolutely money if the stakes are high or its the playoffs. He's a headcase too. It's very very hard to argue against his success in the two playoff runs. It's also hard to argue against against the fact that he's at the top of the middle of the pack during the regular season.

Corp

 

 

Bingo.

 

And Tim Thomas is an elite goalie? WTF? He's having a great year this year, but he was 2.44/.921 last year and 3.13/.905 the year before. He's a career 2.71/.916 goalie.

 

You and Corp nailed it on this Miller debate. :thumbsup:

 

The remark about Tim Thomas being an elite goalie had me rotflmao. He's having a great year, but Thomas never played this well before. If he plays like this for another season or two he can be called an elite goalie. Don't be quick to judge people.

[Stoner]

He's a head case with a slow glove. He gets beat so many times high to the glove side that he reminds me of Gerry Desjardins after his eye surgery .

 

:worthy:

 

I'd like to see the evidence of Miller being "absolutely money" in the playoffs. Pretty good, yeah. I can certainly recall some games he practically stole. But if he was "absolutely money," there would be a Stanley Cup banner at HSBC Arena.

 

Careful BM. Thomas' career numbers are very close to Miller's, whom you've deemed "one of the greats."

[Bmwolf21]

Careful BM. Thomas' career numbers are very close to Miller's, whom you've deemed "one of the greats."

Still here, huh? I thought you were leaving with Crosschecking.

 

But keep twisting words to try to make a point, though. Although no one believes your nonsense.

[Stoner]

Still here, huh? I thought you were leaving with Crosschecking.

 

But keep twisting words to try to make a point, though. Although no one believes your nonsense.

 

What words were twisted? Are you denying that you called him great or are you just backtracking? No shame in admitting a mistake. Lots of opinions look idiotic in hindsight, like my prediction before 07-08 that the Sabres wouldn't miss a beat.

 

You're lucky the search feature on here is so clunky, or else I'd quote you exactly.

 

Please stop speaking for everyone on the board.

[Bmwolf21]

What words were twisted? Are you denying that you called him great or are you just backtracking? No shame in admitting a mistake. Lots of opinions look idiotic in hindsight, like my prediction before 07-08 that the Sabres wouldn't miss a beat.

 

You're lucky the search feature on here is so clunky, or else I'd quote you exactly.

 

Please stop speaking for everyone on the board.

Perhaps this wasn't a shining case of your twisting someone's words, but you've done it so many times in the past that it's an almost automatic reaction to your posts. Either way, all I did was reply to the topic starter calling Tim Thomas "elite." Nothing else.

 

But I digress. I'm not denying anything, and since I'm not a politician, I don't "backtrack." Since everything we discuss is opinion, I reserve the right - as all fans do - to revise my opinion as more facts present themselves. My take on Miller has always been the same -- most of the time he's a very good-to-great (at times) goaltender who could be elite if he figured out how to be consistently great. His inconsistency is his Achilles' heel.

 

I do find it somewhat curious that stenbaro and I discussed this about a week ago, where I admitted that my opinion of Miller had been somewhat downgraded. In that conversation I also clarified my position on Miller's play. Not surprisingly you did not reply to those posts. If it makes you feel better to blame a "clunky search engine," then go ahead. But here's my main post:

 

I know I've been a pretty vocal defender of Ryan in the past, but like I said earlier - I haven't seen enough this year to make any sort of judgment (sp? I hate using an old IE browswer with no spell checker.)

 

While I don't believe I ever actually said he was an "elite" goaltender now - I believe I said he was on that cusp, right on the border between good/very good and could be elite if he figured out how to lock-in his focus fulltime -- I am starting to downgrade my opinion a little. I think he is a good goalie, a little better than Biron, who has bouts of streakiness and inconsistency, especially in the regular season. I think he tends to play to the level of the team -- when the team is struggling he seems to struggle, and when he gets into funks he struggles to get back out.

 

Then again, the downgrading of my opinion could be a reflection of my disgust with the entire organization and on-ice team.

 

On a side note, I also think it might be time to see if a different, full-time goalie coach might be a better fit, because I am a little concerned about how many highly-touted goalie prospects we've had in our system that never really reached their potential in the NHL (or at least not with Buffalo) - Biron, Roloson, Noronen, now Ryan - that I have to wonder if it's time for a change.

 

Hope that wasn't too much more than you were asking for. ;)

[Corp000085]

:worthy:

 

I'd like to see the evidence of Miller being "absolutely money" in the playoffs. Pretty good, yeah. I can certainly recall some games he practically stole. But if he was "absolutely money," there would be a Stanley Cup banner at HSBC Arena.

 

Careful BM. Thomas' career numbers are very close to Miller's, whom you've deemed "one of the greats."

 

 

 

And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.

[Stoner]

Perhaps this wasn't a shining case of your twisting someone's words, but you've done it so many times in the past that it's an almost automatic reaction to your posts. Either way, all I did was reply to the topic starter calling Tim Thomas "elite." Nothing else.

 

But I digress. I'm not denying anything, and since I'm not a politician, I don't "backtrack." Since everything we discuss is opinion, I reserve the right - as all fans do - to revise my opinion as more facts present themselves. My take on Miller has always been the same -- most of the time he's a very good-to-great (at times) goaltender who could be elite if he figured out how to be consistently great. His inconsistency is his Achilles' heel.

 

I do find it somewhat curious that stenbaro and I discussed this about a week ago, where I admitted that my opinion of Miller had been somewhat downgraded. In that conversation I also clarified my position on Miller's play. Not surprisingly you did not reply to those posts. If it makes you feel better to blame a "clunky search engine," then go ahead. But here's my main post:

 

Thanks for the new signature! Classic!

 

Bill Clinton, for once, is on HIS knees, bowing before the God of obfuscation!

[Bmwolf21]

Thanks for the new signature! Classic!

 

Bill Clinton, for once, is on HIS knees, bowing before the God of obfuscation!

Glad such little things can amuse your big brain.

 

But again, twisting words, taking things out of context...it wouldn't be SabreSpace without PA acting like a know-it-all jackass.

 

And moron, if you're going to quote me in your post, at least get my screen name right.

[Stoner]

Glad such little things can amuse your big brain.

 

But again, twisting words, taking things out of context...it wouldn't be SabreSpace without PA acting like a know-it-all jackass.

 

And moron, if you're going to quote me in your post, at least get my screen name right.

 

Fixed.

[Bmwolf21]

Fixed.

:rolleyes:

[Stoner]

OK, I really fixed it up this time.

[wonderbread]

Do you two need to be seperated?

[Wyborowa]

alright you 2, go into the make-out closet and fix things up!

[inkman]

Moving past the pissing contest, I still have a hard time calling Miller great, elite, clutch, money, or whatever adjective you'd like to choose. He's decent, like not horrible decent, but some of his gaffs I never see the league's best goalies perform on the regular basis that Miller does.

[That Aud Smell]

miller's like a handful of above-average ("good") goalies in the league -- capable of stellar play, likely even capable of backstopping a cup-winning team (should the planets align), but also susceptible to head-scratching gaffes and valleys of performance, both on a semi-regular basis.