Rangers' rough season opener left J.T. Miller admitting one hard truth

The New York Rangers fanbase was looking to get rid of the bad vibes from their nightmarish season last year. Tuesday night was the team's opportunity, as they took part in the NHL's Opening Night, hosting the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in Mike Sullivan's debut as Rangers head coach. It was a start of a new season with high hopes. But then the puck dropped.

The Rangers looked lifeless throughout the game, unable to put much pressure on the Penguins. As a result, they were shut out 3-0 in the game. This was supposed to be the start of a better season for the Rangers, as they are considered to be playoff hopefuls. Yes, it was one game, but they didn't do much to inspire confidence in the fans.

After the game, team captain J.T. Miller was asked about his play in the season opener. Miller notably was sidelined for some of the preseason due to an injury suffered in practice. Miller said that due to the lack of reps in the preseason, he graded his performance as "not great."

“Not great. Kind of what I expected," said Miller, h/t Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic. "Legs were heavy today. I haven’t been having a whole lot of reps, but that'll come with time. I know I'll be better next game.”

J.T. Miller admits preseason injury contributed to sluggish season opener

Miller had an eventful offseason. Already expected to have a big role on the Rangers, general manager Chris Drury and Sullivan named him the 29th captain in franchise history. Miller was brought back by the team to change the culture of the team, and naming him captain was the next step in implementing that.

But during training camp practice, Miller suffered a lower body injury while reaching for a puck during a power play drill. Miller grabbed at the back of his left leg, where he then gingerly skated off of the ice. As a result, Miller missed the team's last three preseason games. Sullivan took a cautious approach with Miller, instead focusing on him healing up before the regular season opener.

As it turns out, the lack of play resulted in Miller, as he put it, skating with heavy legs. Miller logged 18:18 of ice time, where he recorded two giveaways, one hit, one block, and zero shots on goal. Miller also picked up a plus/minus of -2 due to being on the ice for two Pittsburgh goals.

While this wasn't the performance that the Rangers and Miller had expected, they hope that the play will improve overall in the coming games. Their next meeting on the schedule is against the Buffalo Sabres, who are expected to finish near the bottom of Eastern Conference standings yet again. If the Rangers have a repeat performance, there may be a cause for concern.

But for now, Rangers fans may have to be patient until Miller gets more reps in the regular season and gets into a groove.