Goaltender Ryan Miller and the Sabres had plenty of problems with calls in Monday’s game against the Penguins. Associated Press

Miller says official used profanity

At the end of a routine 5 1/2-minute session with reporters Tuesday in the Amherst Pepsi Center, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller dropped a bit of a bombshell: The Sabres’ bench minor in the second period Monday at Pittsburgh may have been the outgrowth of a referee’s profanity-laced outburst at Miller during a stoppage in play.

The Sabres had plenty of problems with calls in the game as they dealt with nine minor penalties and a trio of two-man advantages. One was for the full two minutes as Buffalo got the bench minor in protest of an interference call on Thomas Vanek.

Miller went so far Tuesday as to refer to it as a “slanted officiating job.” Near the end of practice, Miller and coach Lindy Ruff were chatting on the ice and reporters inquired about the talk.

“It was just about the referee, a brief conversation I had with the ref that was a little surprising to me,” Miller said. “He told me to ‘go [bleep] myself’ because I was just asking a question. I was just kind of joking around [to Ruff], saying, ‘Maybe that kind of started what got the bench minor going.’

“To be honest, I was respectful. I asked him a question and he told me maybe I should ‘go [bleep] myself.’ ”

Tim Peel and Justin St. Pierre were the referees. Asked which referee it was, Miller responded, “I’m not going to get into it” and Sabres spokesman Chris Bandura ended the session.

A review of the Versus game tape, however, shows Peel having an animated discussion with Miller with 16:11 left in the second period, about seven minutes prior to the bench minor. There’s a faceoff in the Buffalo end with 16:13 left, Miller points to something in the circle and Peel whistles the play dead almost immediately and skates directly to the Buffalo goaltender. Peel is clearly gesturing at Miller with his left hand before the camera shot cuts away.

Ruff had already spoken to reporters by the time Miller’s situation came to light. A call and message left for NHL Director of Officiating Stephen Walkom was not returned.

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