Miller banged up for Canucks but should be okay to play tomorrow

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Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller is operating at less than 100% but shouldn’t miss time for the team.

The veteran didn’t practice in Chicago today as he took what the organization described as a “maintenance day.” It follows a trend of Miller dealing with a lingering issue through the first part of this season.

Miller went down the tunnel just a few seconds into the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He returned shortly after and played the rest of the game, although he avoided faceoffs, finishing the game with just two taken.

“He’s dealing with some stuff,” said Rick Tocchet about his assistant captain after the team’s most recent game. “We’ll figure it out over the next couple days but we didn’t want him to take draws.”

Head coach Tocchet said today that the team will test if Miller can take faceoffs tomorrow, per The Athletic’s Thomas Drance. While the team wouldn’t confirm that Miller will be playing, it seems that is what will happen.

The centre has been performing well throughout the early part of this season. He has three points in five games and scored the overtime winner to earn the Canucks their first victory of the season.

Miller was replaced by placeholders at today’s practice, and Pius Suter skated in his regular place on the first line alongside Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, per Drance.

Arshdeep Bains was on the first power-play unit, presumably in Miller’s spot. The team did make one significant change, as Conor Garland was with the top group while DeBrusk was with the second group.

The Canucks are back in action tomorrow night as they’ll look to extend their two-game win streak when they play the Chicago Blackhawks. The puck drops at 5:15 pm as the Canucks wrap up their early season road trip.

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