Miller and Anderson Making Pitch for Team USA Starting Job

Tim Thomas has been the heavy favorite for the starting goaltender position for Team USA in 2010 for quite some time.  But Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller is turning some heads with his strong play to start the 2009-10 campaign.

Heading into the United States Olympic Hockey Camp in July, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas was the clear cut number one guy to lead the USA Men's Ice Hockey Team to a Gold Medal.  But his play suffered early, as his Bruins currently sit at 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 6-7-2 record.  The troublesome stat that may worry Team USA officials is that in his first three games Thomas suffered twelve goals against, also posting a dismal .870 save percentage in that span.  It is just the first three games, but the Olympics are a short two weeks where teams can play up to 8 games in about 11 days.  The Olympic committee will have worries if Thomas cannot handle the pressure of jumping right into a situation on the ice.

While Thomas has still played well enough, Ryan Miller has outplayed his counterpart to the fullest extent of the word.

Miller is currently leading the league in save percentage (.941%), second in GAA (1.69), and tied for second in shutouts.  It is no mistake that Miller and the Sabres are 3rd in the Eastern Conference with a remarkable 9-2-1 record.  The East Lansing, Michigan native has enjoyed one of the best starts of his career, after witnessing his team miss the playoffs in 2009.

"That's who he is. He's a battler and the backbone of our team," Buffalo captain Craig Rivet said about Miller after a hard-fought win against the Maple Leafs on October 30th. "We played against a feisty team that wanted a win, and he stood on his head a couple times to help us out. He was the main reason we got the win."

Thomas is staying positive about maintaining the number one spot for Team USA though.

“It’s a long season,” Thomas told the Boston Herald earlier this week. “It doesn’t really matter what you did in October if you’re lighting it up in January. Part of it is about peaking at the right time, but also if you’ve played consistently well over a period of years. Hopefully they look at that consistency."

Miller and Thomas may have outside competition as well from an unexpected source.

Goaltender Craig Anderson, who signed a 2-year, $3.625 with the Colorado Avalanche on July 1st, has been the biggest surprise in the NHL thus far.  After the Avalanche finished dead-last in the NHL last season, Anderson came in and has backstopped the Denver team to an amazing 11-3-2 record for first place in the Western Conference.  His .936 save percentage ties him for second in the league, and his 10 wins puts him atop the NHL leaders with three others.  Anderson has been smothering the NHL highlight reels since his big win on opening night against the star-studded San Jose Sharks.  If Anderson is not considered for Vancouver right now, Team USA Hockey better start paying attention.

The Olympics are still a few months away, so these goalies have plenty of time to prove that they are worthy of the starting job.  But Thomas better realize that the number one job will not come easy; Miller and Anderson are looking to take the job from under him. 

One thing is for sure; goaltending for Team USA is looking very promising for the 2010 Winter Games.