Just the third defenseman in franchise history to record multiple goals in his debut, and the first in almost 32 years, Miller admitted that the situation wasn’t exactly how you’d hope it to draw it up, but he was able to figure things out on the fly.
“It was kind of weird. Obviously, there’s some adjustments and in-game stuff that I was just trying to figure out on the go,” the new blueliner said to a scrum of reporters post-game. “I didn’t have any preseason games, so this was my first real look with the team. Once I got adjusted and found the speed of the game, I felt great. It was fun.”
Utilizing his raw talent and instincts, both played a role in his first goal – a seeing-eye, one-hopper of a knuckling puck. It wasn’t one for the highlight reel that will play at the end of his career, but it was impressive that he was even able to get a shot off, let alone one on target, with Devils forward Dawson Mercer rapidly closing in on him at the point.
His second goal, however, put his booming shot on display, giving Carolina their first lead of the third period.
It was also a sorely needed power-play goal for a variety of reasons. To that point, the man advantage had been 0-for-3, and just moments following their last unsuccessful bid, New Jersey had swung momentum their direction with the latest equalizer.
On top of that, it wasn’t just any power play goal; it was one from the team’s second unit, something that had notably plagued Carolina to start the 2024-25 season. The Canes’ second unit had just one goal in the team’s first 32 games last year, a total that had now been matched in just 49:36.
“Can’t get much better than that, I don’t think,” fellow two-goal scorer Seth Jarvis said with a chuckle after Miller’s inaugural act. “Two quite different goals, but you could tell from the first time he stepped on the ice at training camp that he’s a special player. And he’s still young, so I can only imagine the levels that he’s going to get to.”
