J.T. Miller makes his feelings known about Canucks' 3-2 win over Edmonton Oilers amid ongoing trade drama

J.T. Miller and the Vancouver Canucks secured a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Rogers Arena. Quinn Hughes scored twice on the power play and Danton Heinen added another goal. Miller, who was quiet in his last five games before the matchup against the Oilers, scored two assists, and Thatcher Demko made 13 saves.

Speaking on Sportsnet on Saturday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned that Miller was named in a trade between the Canucks and New York Rangers. After a 5-1 loss to the L.A. Kings on Thursday, trade rumors about Miller grew. His presence in the lineup against the Oilers was in question but the trade fell off and he eventually played.

Despite the rumors, Miller's strong performance was key in the win. He played 20:25 minutes after he was limited to an average of 14 minutes in the games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Kings.

Talking to the media after the game, Miller discussed the team's performance.

“It was one of our better team efforts this year, for sure,” Miller said, via NHL.com, “So we should feel proud about it.”

He felt the power play worked because they simplified their approach, putting more pucks and players near the net.

“Today was more of a numbers to the net type of deal,” Miller said. “We know they have a very aggressive penalty kill and tried to make it a little simpler. Just pucks and bodies there and created a little havoc and got rewarded.”

Miller believes the team finds success when everyone works together.

“Came up with some new looks on the power play and we stuck to it, and power play got us momentum,” Miller said. “It's a big difference in a game like that. Just buy-in. When we buy-in, we normally have success.”

Vancouver Canucks' early lead and J.T. Miller and Hughes' performance helped in the win

The Vancouver Canucks' took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Quinn Hughes’ shot deflected off Mattias Ekholm’s skate. Danton Heinen made it 2-0 by scoring on a rebound and Hughes added his second power-play goal with a wrist shot.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice for the Oilers in the second period, cutting the lead to 3-2. Vancouver’s defense held strong, allowing only three shots in the third.

With the two points, J.T. Miller has 31 points for the season, including eight goals.