Pressure’s still on, Eddie Lack.
Ryan Miller will not return to the Vancouver Canucks until the playoffs, but that does not mean the No. 1 goaltender has suffered a setback in his recovery.
“He is not behind schedule; he is on schedule,” Miller’s agent, Mike Liut told Vancouver’s News 1130 Thursday. “As I told you two weeks ago, goalies take longer to recover from this type of knee injury.
“This injury is never four weeks for a goalie. It’s six to eight weeks.”
Miller, 34, has been out of the Canucks lineup since late February, when he sprained his knee during a victory over the New York Islanders.
The veteran No. 1 goaltender was reportedly given a timetable of four to six weeks — minimum — after colliding with teammate Jannik Hansen. Fans were hopeful Miller would be back for the final couple games of the regular season to tune up should the Canucks qualify for the playoffs.
Backup Eddie Lack has been thrust into the starter’s role and has gone 12-9-3 this season with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He is 6-2-1 since Miller’s injury, and the Canucks have won four of their last five contests.
“Eddie can carry the load going forward if he has to,” general manager Jim Benning said when Miller went down. “Jacob [Markstrom] has been outstanding in Utica too. We have great depth at goaltender.”
In the thick of a battle to return to the playoffs, Vancouver (40-25-4) holds the second seed in the Pacific Division and a two-point lead (plus a game in hand) over the L.A. Kings for home ice in Round 1.
