It took one period for J.T. Miller to take away multiple USA goals in Olympic opener

The New York Rangers aren't having a great year, but multiple players on the roster made it onto their respective countries' Winter Olympics rosters. For Team USA, there has criticism for the selections of captain J.T. Miller and center Vincent Trocheck over the likes of Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens and Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. Miller has received the most criticism, given he's having a down season a year after the huge trade to bring him back to New York from the Vancouver Canucks.

The doubters now have realy reason to say "we told you so" regarding the selection of Miller.

In the first period against Latvia, Team USA seemingly took a 2-0 lead after Miller assisted on a goal from defenseman Quinn Hughes. The problem is, Latvia challenged for offsides. It was hard to determine if Brock Nelson had crossed the blue line before the puck because Miller's left arm was blocking the view! Ultimately, the referees negated Hughes' goal for offsides.

But that wasn't all for Miller. Nelson seemingly had a goal on a deflected shot. The issue is, Latvia challenged for goaltender interference. Miller was on the border of the crease and made contact with Latvia goalie Elvis Merzlikins. Due to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules, any contact with the goalie whatsoever is an automatic interference. So, Nelson's goal was taken away, too.

J.T. Miller involved in two disallowed Team USA goals in first period vs. Latvia

Talk about a rough first period for Miller. At first it looked like Miller was going to prove the haters and critics wrong for being involved in setting up two goals in the first period. Yet, Latvia did a great job of challenging the two plays, and it worked out perfectly for them.

For those unaware, a team has unlimited challenges in the Olympics. The only thing is, they receive a two-minute minor penalty for the first unsuccessful challenge, and four-minute double minor penalties for each unsuccessful challenge after that.

The offsides penalty wiping out Hughes' goal was costly, as Latvia scored in less than a minute after that to tie the game up at 1-1. Luckily for them, Team USA, finally, took a 2-1 lead in the second period on an incredible backhand goal by Nelson, with Trocheck receiving an assist!

It was a stressful first period for Team USA, and Miller happened to be one of the main players involved in said drama.