A DREAM MATCHUP IGNORED

The NHL never sees the big picture.

That’s why it will never escape its niche.

The Olympics had a storybook ending. The face of hockey scores in overtime to defeat a determined American team. It was win-win, although it probably doesn’t feel that way to Brooks Orpik.

Two days later, Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo. The face of hockey takes on the goalie he beat for Olympics gold. Sidney Crosby vs. Ryan Miller. It’s the perfect storm, a reenactment on the NHL level. The NHL couldn’t have planned it better, which is how you know the NHL didn’t plan it.

Inexplicably, the game isn’t on national TV. Versus is going with Philadelphia at Tampa Bay.

Still more inexplicably, Miller won’t start in goal for Buffalo. The game won’t even grab the lead on SportsCenter.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman needed to make two things happen: He needed to make Versus get its trucks, cameras, microphones and announcers to Mellon Arena tonight. Then he needed to tell Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff, in no uncertain terms, that Miller was starting in goal.

The whole purpose of NHL players in the Olympics is to gain favorable exposure for hockey, then capitalize after.

Well, a glorious opportunity to capitalize materialized just 48 hours after Crosby scored on Miller, and the NHL ignored it.

Getting the game on Versus should have been a no-brainer. That should have been planned before the Olympics because of Crosby’s presence.