Back in lineup, Kevan Miller going to be counted on to ‘leave a few welts’ against opposition

Aside from sporting a neck guard during the first few weeks of his recovery, you couldn’t spot much of a difference in Kevan Miller during his regular reps out on the ice at Warrior Ice Arena.

A month removed from taking a puck to the throat that landed him in a Toronto hospital for an overnight stay, Miller doesn't seem any worse for wear during his road to recovery — a testament to a blueliner who has taken his fair share of bumps and bruises this season.

“He’s another body you’ve got to be aware of, especially down low and our defensive zone,” David Backes said of Miller. “Even in practice, he doesn’t take a shift off. That’s something you have to be aware of — his physicality.”

Already shedding his neck guard, Miller hasn’t faced many limitations since suffering his freak injury. He hasn’t had to change his diet, nor have his vocal cords been damaged.

“I'm never going to be on American Idol, so...,” Miller said with a smirk.

After getting the green light from the B’s medical staff, Miller is set to return to Boston’s lineup for tonight's game against the Devils — standing as the latest roadblock that the rugged defenseman has overcome in what has been a frustrating start to the 2018-19 campaign.

Forced to miss over a month earlier this year recovering from a broken hand, Miller only suited up in three full games before going down with his latest ailment during a Nov. 26 road matchup against the Maple Leafs.

Shaking off the rust is to be expected for Miller, who will skate on Boston’s third D pairing alongside Kevan Miller for Thursday’s tilt against New Jersey.

“It’s never easy,” Miller said of returning to the lineup. “Especially being out for so long. I came back for basically three games and then the fourth game was pretty quick. I didn’t have my feet under me, even at that point. I think it will take some time, but I think as long as I keep the game simple, play my game, short shifts, make sure everything is in front of me. I should be fine. I’ve done this a few times before.”

He might not have been completely back up to speed following his return back in late November, but the veteran blueliner looked awfully good during that short sample size.

One of the first reinforcements back during a November stretch in which Boston’s D corps was decimated by injuries, Miller didn’t seem to lose a step — averaging an absurd 24:14 of ice time while logging eight hits and nine blocks during his three full games of action.

Whereas names like Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy were perhaps the first that came to mind during Boston’s brutal stretch of injuries that hit the club over the last two months, Bruce Cassidy made sure not to sell Miller short when discussing his impact on the B’s.



Miller — who has averaged 149 hits and 103 blocks over the past three seasons despite missing a combined 49 games during that same stretch — provides much of Boston’s physical oomph from the blue line, a valuable asset when it comes to wearing down opposing teams' top forwards over the course of a game.

With both Miller and Chara back in the lineup, Cassidy noted Boston has a few pieces that might curtail some opposing skill players from operating with space in the offensive zone — a facet of the game that could have come in handy when Sabres star Jack Eichel dissected the B’s to the tune of four points in a 4-2 win back on Dec. 16.

“They’re a little more ornery than maybe a John Moore or Steven Kampfer against skill,” Cassidy said of Miller and Chara. “I think it showed against Eichel’s line. That was a night where we could have used someone that made it harder on Jack.

“So that’s the difference he makes. I think we’re a tougher matchup for the skill guys on the other team. Him and Z both relish the chance to play against good offensive players and take a lot of pride in shutting them down and hopefully leave a few welts on their body as they leave town.”

Whether it be dishing out a heavy check in the corner or simply adding another veteran presence out on the ice for a club with nine players aged 25 or under, Miller’s contributions may not be as bombastic as say, Bergeron’s four-point outburst on Saturday.

But as the opposition can certainly attest to, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You can tell that he has a presence out there on the ice with his physicality,” Brandon Carlo said of Miller. “Overall, he backs down the opposing team’s top forwards, because they don’t want to go into the corners with him by any means. He definitely brings a lot to the lineup that we need. … He does his part and plays a simple game, which I try to do myself. He’s a guy that I looked up for the past couple years and tried to learn from — it’s great to have him back.”