SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Sabres have a chance to even their win-regulation loss record tonight against the Florida Panthers. A victory in BankAtlantic Center would put the Sabres at 14-14-4.
"It’s important," coach Lindy Ruff said after the morning skate. "We want to play well. We want to feed off our last win. We want to get this road trip started off the right way."
The Sabres are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind eighth-place Boston.
"We’ve got to keep trying to push up the ladder, close that gap between that group of teams that’s kind of put some distance between eighth to ninth place," Ruff said.
The Sabres are facing a Florida team that built a 3-0 lead over Carolina in the opening minutes of their last game yet lost, 4-3.
"The way they lost their last game, you really feel that they’re going to come out and try to really come out hard," Ruff said. "That’s one of those ones you want a mulligan on because that’s two points you let slip away. I would think tonight they’re going to come out and try to make amends for it."
There will be no lineup changes for the Sabres. Ryan Miller will start in goal, and Craig Rivet and Nathan Gerbe will be the healthy scratches. Shaone Morrisonn (concussion) took a light skate today with his teammates.
"It’s good to get out and get a sweat," Morrisonn said. "With concussions, it’s kind of a process with the way you’ve got to come back and stuff, but I feel like I’m making progress. Not as quick as I want to be, but it’s something you can’t judge."
---John Vogl
