Ryan Miller was with the Sabres for parts of 12 seasons, so here are 12 key moments in his Sabres' career:
1. The NHL debut, Nov. 19, 2002: Miller was distraught after a 4-3 overtime loss at New Jersey. And he had good reason, as he was working a shutout for 43 minutes before giving up three third-period goals and losing at 1:23 of OT on a goal by future Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer.
2. Taking the crease, Dec, 19, 2005: Miller stopped 33 of 34 shots through OT and earned a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia in his first game in nearly two months after suffering a broken thumb. It started a stretch where Miller went 19-4-2 and ensured he would be the No. 1 goalie for the rest of his years in Buffalo.
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3. The first playoff shutout, April 30, 2006: Miller stopped all 24 shots he faced to blank Philadelphia 3-0 and give the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the first round in an NBC-televised game played at a raucous HSBC Arena.
4. Star power, Jan. 24, 2007: Miller joined Daniel Briere, Brian Campbell and coach Lindy Ruff at the All-Star Game in Dallas. It was the first time the Sabres had three reps since 1990. The East won 12-9 as Briere earned MVP honors with a five-point night. Miller allowed three goals in his period of play.
5. Tough loss, May 19, 2007: Miller is beaten by Daniel Alfredsson in overtime as Ottawa wins Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final 3-2 in HSBC Arena to win the series. Briere and Chris Drury leave in free agency two months later and it's another three years before the Sabres return to the playoffs.
6. The game on his stick: That was the call of NBC announcer Mike Emrick as Sidney Crosby approached Miller during the shootout of the first Winter Classic in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Crosby chipped the puck between Miller's legs to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 win in the snow in front of a then-NHL record crowd of 71,217. It came in the midst of a nine-game losing streak that was Miller's worst of his career, and was particularly frustrating because he went 0-4 in shootouts over the stretch.
7. Gold turns into silver: Crosby beat Miller in overtime of the gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but Miller was named the tournament's MVP – and got a standing ovation in Pittsburgh a few days later when he was introduced during a break in the game. In the handshake line, Team Canada assistant and Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said to his goalie, "Let's go win a Cup."
8. Miraculous save still not enough, April 21, 2010: Miller made one of the most spectacular saves of his career in Game 4 of the Sabres' first-round series in Boston, diving to his left to stop former Buffalo winger Miroslav Satan's shot in overtime with his glove. But Satan would score in the second OT and the Sabres would lose the series in six games, a disappointing finish to a season in which Buffalo won the Northeast Division.
9. The Vezina: Miller won his lone award as the NHL's outstanding goalie on June 23, 2010, earning 28 of 30 first place votes. He set a franchise record and ranked fourth among NHL goaltenders with 41 wins, was second in GAA (2.22) and save percentage (.929) and tied a career high with five shutouts.
10. The last time, April 24, 2011: Miller makes 44 saves, but the Sabres lose Game 6 of a first-round series in overtime to Philadelphia 6-5 in HSBC Arena. To date, it is the last Stanley Cup Playoff game in Buffalo. Miller had stopped 68 of 71 shots in the previous two games, including a 32-save shutout, as the Sabres had taken a 3-2 lead in the series. Buffalo lost Game 7 in Philly and has yet to play in the postseason since.
11. The hit, Nov. 12, 2011: You remember. Miller. Milan Lucic. Charging. Not much response. It came in a 6-2 loss in Boston and sent the Sabres' season on a downward spiral from which they didn't recover. Miller sat out a couple of weeks with a concussion.
12. The final game and the trade. Miller made 36 saves in his final game as a Sabre, a 3-2 win over Carolina on Feb. 25, 2014. Three days later, with the trade deadline approaching, Miller was dealt, along with captain Steve Ott.
