NEWARK, N.J. -- What a tease it is to fly into LaGuardia when the Sabres play New Jersey. You see the Big Apple, drive through Manhattan ... and end up in Newark. Ugh.
So, anyway, greetings from Prudential Center, which is a beautiful rink in a town that beauty forgot. Only four Sabres are on the ice -- goaltenders Patrick Lalime and Ryan Miller, defenseman Mike Weber and forward Nathan Gerbe -- while the rest stayed in Manhattan. Lucky for them, not so for us five.
The absence of Chris Butler leads me to believe Craig Rivet did not make the trip because of the flu and will miss tonight's game and Thursday's meeting with the New York Rangers. UPDATE: Rivet is back in Buffalo.
Lalime, who missed practice Tuesday, obviously does not need his appendix out, as feared. Either he or Miller will back up Jhonas Enroth tonight against the Devils. UPDATE: Lalime is off the ice while Miller is still working with Gerbe, so Lalime is expected to be the backup goalie.
---John Vogl
