

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

There’s no real suspense about who will start Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs in the Vancouver Canucks’ net. It’ll be Eddie Lack, who recently ditched Twitter to focus on the task at hand.

Ryan Miller isn’t talking like he’s a healthy player, and he isn’t looking much like a healthy player. Miller, 34, has appeared in one game since sustaining a right knee sprain in late February, and he was shaky – though he improved as the game went on – in a 6-5 overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins wasn’t disclosing his starter on Monday, but this is a slam dunk. Lack’s been on a solid run, and Miller isn’t up to speed yet.

“I believe both goaltenders are ready,” Desjardins demurred, after suggesting that he didn’t know which goaltender would start game one for the Canucks, by way of MetroNews Vancouver’s Cam Tucker. “At the start of the year, everyone asked and Eddie was struggling a bit, and I’ve always said that he’s a good goaltender and he’s played that way. I believe the same with Ryan. I think he’s a good goaltender. I think both guys are capable of starting and playing well.”

If you want to be very Vancouver about it, you could read something into Desjardins’ comments. You could say it sounds ominous and dramatic, as if the decision isn’t clear.

Of course it is clear, and it’s premature to expect an April surprise of Cory Schneider proportions. Not in game one at least. Or in game two. Probably not in game three either.

After all Miller is still working his way back to full speed.

“I’m still very much in injury recovery but I wanted to work hard and get back to the point where I can be an option,” said Miller following his iffy start on Saturday, via Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province. “It was nice to get back into a game, although I’ve got to be making a lot of movements a lot quicker than I was tonight.”

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It’s playoff time and the Canucks are playing everything close to the vest – injuries, starters, heck they didn’t even publicize Monday afternoon’s open practice until late on Sunday evening (though there was a solid turnout nonetheless). Don’t misinterpret their intentional coyness as a sign of doubt though, because there isn’t any here.

Lack is the club’s playoff starter, and here’s betting that he’ll get a lot of rope in that role.





