WATCH: J.T. Miller's wife Natalie & kids shriek in excitement as Canucks forward scores OT winner
J.T. Miller scored an overtime goal for the Vancouver Canucks, winning 3-2 against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. This was the Canucks' first win of the season.
After the goal, Miller's wife, Natalie Craig, shared her and the kids' excitement on Instagram stories. In a video, their daughter, Scotlyn, enjoyed McDonald's and asked why her mom was filming. Natalie replied:
“In case daddy scores an overtime.”
Here's the video:
When J.T. Miller scored, their kids — Scotlyn, Scarlett and Owen Edward — jumped with happiness.
Teddy Blueger and Quinn Hughes also scored for Vancouver, while Kevin Lankinen made 26 saves. For the Panthers, Anton Lundell scored his fourth goal in three games, while Jesper Boqvist also found the back of the net.
However, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's 30 saves weren't enough to stop the Canucks. The Panthers missed key players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, which affected their performance.
A key moment was Hughes’ goal, which some Panthers players thought should have been called a hand pass, but the NHL allowed it. The win helped the Canucks snap their losing streak in Florida, improving to 2-8-0 in their last 10 games as Lundell's scoring streak showed his importance to the Panthers during Barkov's absence.
J.T. Miller celebrates 800 NHL games with Vancouver Canucks
J.T. Miller, a key player for the Vancouver Canucks, played his 800th NHL game on October 9, 2024, against the Calgary Flames. Looking back on his career, Miller expressed gratitude for his fitness and the guidance from coaches along the way.
“The older I get, the more I respect guys that can play for a long time. And super lucky, fortunate, especially health wise, to play in this many games," Miller said (via thealbertan.com on Oct 9)"
"There’s a time 10 or 11 years ago when I was just trying to get into the lineup. I feel very, very lucky to be where I’m at. But, obviously, I’ve got a lot of help from coaches and stuff along the way,” he added.
He was selected 15th overall by the New York Rangers in 2011 and made his NHL debut in 2013. After six seasons with the Rangers, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Miller then joined the Vancouver Canucks in 2019.
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet also praised Miller for always working to improve himself.
“He’s always trying to get better every day, physically and mentally, his approach to the game and how he can be better off the ice and on the ice when it comes to the game," Rick Tocchet said. "I have a lot of respect for him.”
Captain Quinn Hughes recognized his leadership and said thata the team would celebrate when J.T. Miller plays his 1,000th game.
“800 is a great milestone, but we’ll wait for him to get 1,000," Hughes said.
The Canucks next face the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.