TAMPA, Fla. -- The Sabres are in the midst of their morning skate, and it appears Chris Butler will replace injured defenseman Steve Montador for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montador is not on the ice for the second straight day, and coach Lindy Ruff just gave Butler a pep talk at center ice and tapped him on the shin pads.
More following the skate.
Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher, meanwhile, feels his team faces a challenge tonight from Ryan Miller and the Sabres.
"This team has had a slower start, but if you look at them in terms of stats, I think they’re [third] in the league in shots for, which means they’re a major threat offensively," Boucher said. "Miller is back now, so he’s maybe the best goalie in the league. If you look at the motivation they’ve got, especially lately, they’ve got two games in hand on Carolina. If they win those two games, they’re one point behind eighth place, so that means the playoffs. They’re coming in here with two days of rest, preparing exactly for us. It’s the same scenario as Washington, so they’re a team that’s going to come in with a lot of motivation."
The Capitals dealt the Bolts their only loss in the last eight games.
---John Vogl
