in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the play

VANCOUVER – Its pretty clear that third periods are Miller time. Second periods, however, are not. And the difference between the two is a head-scratcher. After getting the hook 5:39 into the second on Saturday night in Toronto, Ryan Millers performance got me thinking (which is always a dangerous exercise). It started with a simple question: how can the same guy be among the National Hockey League leaders with 16 victories but also have been lifted in three of his five defeats? And since Miller has been pulled three times (including each of the last two Saturday appearances), I began wondering about his save percentage late in the hockey games he finished. Because when hes been on top of his game, it has almost always been in third periods this season when hes been able to shut the door and preserve victories for the hockey club. And as it turns out, his third period performances are off the charts good – one of the big reasons Miller is 7-0 in one-goal games so far this season. But getting to the third period has at times proved problematic. And so the project became a closer look at the goals Miller has allowed and his save percentage period by period. The results are startling. The following chart lays out Millers body of work so far, broken down into the three periods and overtime: Ryan Miller in 2014-15 season PERIOD GOALS SHOTS SAVE PCT. 1 17 176 90.3 2 26 183 85.8 3 8 174 95.4 OT 0 1 100 TOTAL 51 534 90.4 The shot totals for each of the three periods are similar and in the case of first and third periods almost identical. So its not like Millers workload has increased dramatically from one period to the next. But the goals allowed are inexplicable. Sure, the second period has the long change for both teams and that may lead to a few more scoring chances, but not enough to blow the doors off. How can a netminder allow more than three times as many goals in the second period as he does in the third? And twice as many goals in the first frame as the final one? His third period save percentage would win him the Vezina in a heartbeat if he could play that way all night, every night. But his second period save percentage wouldnt allow him to keep his job in the NHL if his numbers were like that across the board. Its been made clear since the day he signed with the Canucks that Ryan Miller is a rhythm goalie and the period-by-period breakdown is simply more irrefutable proof. When hes on his game and in a groove, Miller has been terrific for the Canucks in third periods this season, giving up just eight goals in the final periods of hockey games. And only once – October 30 versus Montreal – has Miller surrendered more than a single goal in any of the 18 third periods hes played. The Habs got to him twice that night, but he still pulled out an overtime victory. Contrast that with the fact that twice this season Miller has been torched for three goals in first periods and on two other occasions it has happened to him in seconds. He has allowed multiple goals in the first period six times in his 21 starts and nine times in second periods. When Miller gets off to a tough start, it has at times been a struggle to regain his form and focus. But on the nights Ryan Miller successfully navigates his personal mine fields, he has been a remarkable closer. While the numbers in the table above outline Millers season as a whole, the pattern has held true on the Canucks current road trip. Has has allowed four first period goals, five second period markers and has surrendered just a pair of third period goals. And over that time, he has posted a shutout in Columbus, been pulled in Toronto and split his results in Detroit and Washington. Its hard to figure out after all these years how a veteran of so many NHL battles still needs time to work his way into games. And harder still to make sense of why when hes on everything is great, but when hes not he has trouble surviving second periods. Ultimately, hockey is a results-oriented business and Ryan Millers bottom line looks awfully good at 16-5 despite having his evening cut short on Saturday. Without question, hes been a big part of the Canucks success this season. Hes developed a knack of being there when the Canucks need him most and the numbers show hes been very good when games are on the line. So sure there may have been some potholes in the first 40 minutes of hockey games so far this season, but its pretty evident that third periods have been Miller time. Ecco Shoes On Sale Australia . Almost 40 years to the day, the two teams will meet again, this time at BC Place, to celebrate the past and try to earn important points for the present. Ecco Shoes Sale Clearance Australia . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons. http://www.wholesaleeccoaustralia.com/ . "He came up to me and said, I want to train," said Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to play Saturday night when Toronto hosts D.C. United, returning to his Major League Soccer squad with mixed feelings about the Americans World Cup run -- sad that it ended when it did but proud of his teams performance. Ecco Shoes Australia Sale . After Mondays comments by Coach Claude Noel that its work first and skill second, and that more “A” games are needed, the Jets responded with a 47-shot effort. If not for terrific goaltending by Braden Holtby the Jets would have had two points in regulation. Wholesale Ecco Shoes . After seven wins in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the playoffs.Green Bay, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Rodgers passed for 368 yards and two touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers held on to beat the New England Patriots 26-21 on Sunday. The Packers (9-3) improved to 6-0 at home this season, tying the NFLs best mark shared by New England and three other teams. The Patriots (9-3) had a seven-game winning streak snapped, losing for the first time in more than two months. The Packers, with Rodgers carving out another precise passing game, took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and hung on down thhe stretch after Tom Brady threw his second touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell to get the Patriots within 23-21 early in the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd After Mason Crosby kicked his fourth field goal of the game for Green Bay to make it 26-21, Stephen Gostkowski had a rare miss for New England at the other end of the field. The Packers picked up a final first down when Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 7-yard gain on 3rd-and-4. The Patriots were left without any timeouts and Rodgers kneeled out the remaining two minutes. ' ' '