Sabres Edge

Jhonas Enroth, with his parents, Erik and Eva, over from Sweden to see him play in the NHL for the first time, stopped all 23 shots he faced to give the Sabres a 1-0 win over the Rangers. A few tidbits:

*Enroth became the first Buffalo goalie not named Ryan Miller to earn a shutout since Jocelyn Thibault on April 5, 2008.

*Enroth backstopped the first 1-0 win since the Sabres beat Toronto on Feb. 13, 2008.

*It was the third time the Sabres posted consecutive home shutouts with two different goalies. Bob Sauve and Don Edwards did it Feb. 3-7, 1980, while Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek accomplished it April 1-4, 1994. Miller blanked New Jersey, 2-0, Saturday.

The audio of Enroth's postgame chat is below.

---John Vogl

Right off the top, Darcy Regier just met the media in the press box a few minutes before tonight's Sabres-Rangers game and announced that Ryan Miller is day-to-day -- and NOT week to week -- with an upper-body injury. He said the Dion Phaneuf shot in the third period last night in Toronto did play a role in the injury. He declined to answer if Miller had any concussion testing in the wake of the Brian Rolston shot he took to the head Saturday against New Jersey.

Regier then said Miller IS a possibility to play this weekend in Washington and Carolina. That was all he had to offer. The whole meeting with reporters lasted 55 seconds.

So I suppose that's better news than  what we could have heard.  Stay tuned for game updates.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari-Weber-Sekera. Goal: Enroth
Rangers starters: Prust-Boyle-Fedotenko-Staal-Girardi. Goal: Lundqvist 

Third Period

Of note: Carolina leads Montreal, 4-1, through 40 minutes so the Sabres have to win this one to keep their three-point lead. The good news is they could pull within two of Montreal. ... Lundqvist IS back and in goal for the third period.

853 p.m. The puck is dropped.

19:44 left: Enroth robs Stepan from right in front. Sekera counting the house behind the net and Weber doing likewise in front. Yikes.

17:52 left: Enroth stops Boyle after a Montador giveaway.

15:16 left: Weber nearly crunched Avery at the Buffalo line, but got him enough to stop a rush. The "Let's Go Rangers" chants are starting again to boos. The Blueshirts have been much better in this period. Shots are 4-3 for New York but three of the four have been solid chances.

10:53 left: Sabres still holding on, have a 31-18 edge in shots on goal.

10:18 left: Gragnani has been solid tonight but not there. Backhands the puck from behind the net right in front and nearly off Enroth. Goalie covers.

8:00 left: This is a tight, tight period. Shots are 6-5 for Buffalo.

5:15 left: Sabres holding on at Cotton Eye Joe time.

3:30 left: Enroth again kills the play with the glove with his team running around in the zone. Grabs McCabe's wrister and gets his team a change. Huge.

1:55 left: Pominville stopped on wraparound.

1:10 left: Empty net.

IT'S OVER: Sabres hold on desperately for a 1-0 win and big scrum ensues. Shots 35-23. Enroth's first NHL shutout. Huge win to keep Carolina away.

Second Period

8:02 p.m.: The puck is dropped and bad news out of Raleigh as it's Jeff Skinner 2, Montreal 0. Heat really on the Sabres tonight.

18:38 left: Dubinsky beats Enroth high but clanks it off the crossbar.

18:02 left: Enroth spears Ryan McDonagh's laser from the point.

15:10 left: Staal goes for interference after a dangerous rush into the zone by Pominville. Staal dumped Connolly in front, right when Pominville was looking for him with the pass.

14:32 left: Gragnani does a great job stopping a 2 (and maybe 3-)-on-1 and Vanek gets it to Connolly, who pumps a rocket off the post past Lundqvist. Sabres lead, 1-0. Gragnani gets an assist too for his first NHL point.

13:10 left: Enroth stops a Prospal slapper. Shots are 17-10 for Buffalo.

11:15 left: Lundqvist gets his glove on a Stafford shot on a 2-on-1.

10:30 left: Stafford dangerous again but Lundqvist is there. Shots 22-11.

8:20 left: Enroth gloves a McDonagh one-timer to get the Sabres out of trouble. The Gaustad line and Weber-Sekera were hemmed in for nearly a minute.

6:53 left: Lundqvist robs Brad Boyes from the doorstep.

3:29 left: Montador goes for slashing.

2:38 left: Enroth with a good stop on Staal.

1:20 left: Another great PK job, including a near-breakaway by Gaustad that Lundqvist stopped on the backhand after a steal near center ice.

24.4 left: Rangers fans holding their breath as Lundqvist is gimping around on his right leg in clear discomfort after a flurry in front of the New York net. He'll stay in.

End-2nd: Sabres hold their 1-0 lead. Shots are 26-14 for Buffalo (11-6 in that period) and Lundqvist is very, very slow getting off the ice.

First Period

7:08 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

18:46 left: Enroth with a good save on Brandon Dubinsky after a neat feed on a 2-on-1 by Artem Anisimov. Where exactly was Myers going in the Rangers' zone? Another 2-on-1. Lindy Ruff said the Leafs had five last night.

17:20 left: Agitator Sean Avery welcomes Matt Ellis back to the NHL with a push to the back by the benches. That got Cody McCormick's attention. Bears watching.

16:00 left: The Sabres line up tonight this way to start: Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari, Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Niedermayer-McCormick-Ellis, Ennis-Boyes-Stafford. Defense: Weber-Sekera, Butler-Myers, Gragnani-Montador.

13:44 left: Lundqvist turns away a McCormick slapper after a steal in the neutral zone. Shots are 5-1 for Buffalo.

12:29 left: Vanek and Connolly going hard to the net. Lundqvist holds firm. Shots now 8-1. An excellent start.

9:13 left: The Connolly line is dangerous again. Good pass from the corner by Pominville to Vanek but his shot was partially blocked. Sabres have an 11-2 edge in shots but Lundqvist hasn't had to make any spectacular stops yet.

7:50 left: Enroth with his best save on Marian Gaborik streaking down the right side and another on Vinny Prospal 15 seconds later from the slot. Better saves than anything Lundqvist has had to make in the period.

5:50 left: Rangers coming on, Sabres getting sloppy Ryan Callahan just wide on a good chance from the slot.

2:02 left: Anisimov scores on a rebound but interference is called as Sekera knocked Callahan into Enroth and Callahan ended up on top of Enroth, not allowing the goalie to move. The whole thing started, however, when Callahan wiped out Sekera in the corner to get the puck. Rangers continued possession from there.

1:00 left: Lundqvist with his best two saves on Vanek, who undressed the Rangers defense to get in alone. Great block also by Brian Boyle to stop another chance.

7.7 left: Stafford elbowing, Callahan roughing.

End-1st: No score. Sabres have a 15-8 edge in shots. Lundqvist has given up three goals in the last 10 periods plus an overtime. Wow.

We have the official confirmation that Ryan Miller is out tonight as Jhonas Enroth just led the Sabres on the ice for warmups prior to tonight's game against the New York Rangers. Patrick Lalime has taken the ice as the backup. He has been dealing with a knee injury and has not dressed since backing up Enroth for the March 6 overtime win in Minnesota.

On defense, Shaone Morrisonn will be the scratch to allow Marc Gragnani to move into the lineup.

Stay tuned for our live blog at the top of the hour.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Rumors have been spreading in the last hour at HSBC Arena and it appears Ryan Miller will not play tonight against the New York Rangers, sources have told The News. Miller is injured. It is not a night off. In response to an inquiry, the Sabres referred to their long-standing policy of often not announcing the starting goaltender so we'll have to wait until the team takes the ice for warmup at 6:30.

There is no word on the nature or severity of the injury but it's believed to be an upper-body situation. Miller did take a slapshot from Dion Phaneuf to the collarbone area with 14:48 left in the third period of Tuesday night's 4-3 loss at Toronto. He also took a Brian Rolston slapshot directly on the mask in the first period of Saturday's 2-0 win over New Jersey.

Miller was not at today's morning skate but that's not unusual. Jhonas Enroth and Patrick Lalime were on the ice. It was an optional skate with several players not on hand. Miller's absence was thus not a topic of conversation because he has often taken gameday skates off this season.

Enroth will start tonight. Miller has made the last seven starts. Enroth's last appearance was the 6-4 win March 13 against Ottawa. Lalime told reporters yesterday in Toronto his injured knee is better and he's ready to go so he should be the backup.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

As we reported earlier, Derek Roy skated on his own for about 25 minutes and shot pucks for the final 10 minutes of that session. He looked surprisingly crisp for a guy just three months out of major surgery for his torn quad tendon. Roy admitted he's not doing turns or stops and starts and doing mostly straight-ahead skating. He said this was actually the fourth time he's skated but was easily the first time he pushed his workout.

"Today it felt a lot better than the first few days where you just move around and see how it feels," Roy told The Buffalo News. "Today I took a big step, started skating hard and got my heart rate up."

Sabres team doctor Les Bisson performed the surgery on Roy and said the center would start to feel better around three months after the injury, which occurred Dec. 23 against Florida. Seems like that call is right on target.

"Doc said at the three-month period, you usually start feeling a little bit better and all of a sudden your leg starts getting bigger and stronger. All of a sudden, things come quicker," Roy said. "That first three months are just that slow process of healing. Once it heals after the three-month period, he said you can do whatever you want basically."

We had only seen Roy a couple times, once as he limped around Terry Pegula's introductory press conference and again as he limped around the ice testing the knee on the team picture day earlier this month.

So let's cut to the chase: Can Roy play this year? Absolutely he can -- in the second round of the playoffs.

"That would be right at the fourth-month period, right where Doc said, the 4-6 months," Roy said. "I'm going with his knowledge on the thing. Obviously, I've never had an injury like this. Four months to play at an NHL level in the playoffs might be stretching it but I'm going to try to push for that."

Hear the complete audio of my chat with Roy below.

Derek Roy

--Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Only a handful of Sabres skated today but coach Lindy Ruff had plenty of news about the roster heading into tonight's game against the New York Rangers.

You can hear the audio from the entire session by clicking here:

Lindy Ruff pregame

The rundown looks like this:

---Out with injuries: Jochen Hecht (upper body), Mike Grier (knee)

---Inserted into lineup to quarterback power play: Marc Gragnani.

---Called up from Portland in time to be here tonight: Matt Ellis.

---Scratched on defense: TBA (but the betting here is on Shaone Morrisonn, he of the minus-3 in 8 1/2 minutes last night).

Gragnani has been one of the AHL's best defensemen this year with 12 goals, 48 assists, 60 points and a career-best plus-22 rating. He led AHL blueliners in assists and points, setting Portland franchise records in both categories.

"Marc is going to go in and play," Ruff said. "I really feel we need somebody on the back end that can quarterback our power play in Leopold's absence. It could have made a difference late in the game for us. We're ust going to play what we think will help us win. I don't want to wait two or three games. I think it's important right now if we have one or two power plays.

"He's a great year down there quarterbacking their power play. I just feel that he could give that unit a boost. He's a great passer. he might be as good a passer that we'll have from the back end."

Ruff said Grier's knee soreness is a short-term situation but couldn't speculate on Hecht's continued troubles. Hecht missed four games, played two, missed five more, played Saturday against New Jersey and lasted just under six minutes last night.

"We're concerned obviously," Ruff said. "He's tried but hasn't been able to [keep playing]."

Ruff then had a humurous exchange with the media when I asked if Hecht had to be shut down.

Ruff: No. You guys trying to figure out what it is?
Reporter: Or how long it might be.
Ruff: So am I (laughter)
Sabres Edge: What it is or how long?
Ruff: Both.

Translation: Sounds like Hecht is going to be an iffy proposition each day over these last six games.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Injured Sabres center Derek Roy has just completed a 25-minute solo workout on the ice at HSBC Arena in full uniform (the Sabres are not skating this morning). Roy moved well for much of the session, skating without pucks for the first 15 minutes before heading into a penalty box to get a bucket of pucks and begin some shooting drills.

Roy looked quite a bit better than he did during his few twirls on the ice a couple of weeks ago following the Sabres' annual team picture.

The thought of him playing in the second round of the playoffs -- if the Sabres get that far -- certainly seems like a realistic goal now.

UPDATE: Lindy Ruff said he was unaware Roy had been on the ice when I asked him about the session following today's optional skate. 

"I didn't know he was out so that's encouraging," said Ruff, who added he did not know of any change to Roy's timetable, which pegs a possible return as the second round of the playoffs.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

TORONTO -- The Sabres are heading home from Toronto as 4-3 losers, a one-goal deficit that could partially be blamed on the first goal. Ryan Miller allowed Dion Phaneuf to score from the blue line, setting the tone for the loss.

"Not quite the effort we wanted," Miller said in Air Canada Centre. "I had a chance to set the tone on my end and didn’t do it, and it just kind of went from there.

"I just didn’t close off cross-body. It was rising up and I didn’t have a step on it, so I just looked stupid."

The full audio of Miller's postgame chat is below.

Carolina pulled within three points of the Sabres with a victory over Washington, while the Leafs pulled within five points.

Also of note, forward Jochen Hecht played just one period after reaggravating his upper-body injury. Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn played just 8:36 while putting up a dismal minus-3.

"It was a game where I just want to throw it in the garbage because it just wasn’t there," Morrisonn said. "The focus wasn’t there. It’s a tough way to play a game. It can’t happen again."

---John Vogl

TORONTO -- Greetings from Leaf Nation, where the fans are looking at the standings, crunching numbers and dreaming up best-case scenarios with the hopes they'll get to see playoff hockey. The conversations are very similar to the ones that took place in Buffalo two and three years ago.

It's going to take a lot for Toronto, and like Buffalo in those years, one misstep means it's over. That includes tonight's game. If the Leafs lose, they'll be nine points back with only 10 points available.

The Sabres had a morning skate today in Toronto, which (thankfully) is rare. We News writers just drive up and back for the games, and normally we come up around 4:30 p.m. With the morning skate, we come early. With work done at 1 p.m. and no hotel room to head back to, that's a lot of time to kill in TO. Spent some time walking to a shawarma place that had gotten good reviews.

Those reviewers obviously have never been to Ottawa. The food was OK, hardly memorable. I brought Kevin Sylvester and Scott Miner of the Sabres along for their inaugural shawarmas, and I do wish the ones in Ottawa had been their first ones. Oh well, nothing you can do about that. (Well, you can blog about as Kevin said he's going to be doing on Sabres.com. The guess here is he complains about the walk!)

The Sabres have just taken the ice for the warm-up, with no Mike Grier. The forward will miss the game with knee soreness, with Mark Mancari taking his place. More when the puck drops.

FIRST PERIOD

7:08 p.m.: Prior to the national anthems, the Leafs honored former Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur as the Community MVP. And the puck is dropped.

7:11 p.m.: All the folks talking about Ryan Miller's great play aren't talking now. He just allowed Dion Phaneuf to score on a slap shot from exactly the blue line with 1:34 gone. There was no tip, no one in his way. Miller just looked at his glove and squeezed it a couple of times. There was nothing in it. It's 1-0 Toronto.

7:13 p.m.: Miller gets his glove on the next shot, by Phil Kessel with 16:11 to go.

7:15 p.m.: With Grier out, the Sabres' lines are Thomas Vanek-Tim Connolly-Jason Pominville, Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Brad Boyes, Tyler Ennis-Jochen Hecht-Drew Stafford and Rob Niedermayer-Cody McCormick-Mancari.

7:16 p.m.: Goalie James Reimer gloves his first tough shot, a wrister from the right circle by Mancari with 13:42 to go.

7:24 p.m.: The Sabres hit the second commercial still in their 1-0 hole. Toronto has a 6-5 shot edge.

7:32 p.m.: Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel just miss two scoring opportunities 30 seconds apart. Kessel fails to set up Bozak on a two-on-one, and Boyes' backchecking ties up Bozak when he tries to deposit Kessel's rebound with 6:05 to go.

7:39 p.m.: The Sabres have to be happy to head to the dressing room in a 2-1 hole. The Leafs made it 2-0 with 1:14 left, with Nazek Kadri beating Shaone Morrisonn for a puck in the corner. He headed to the front, where Darryl Boyce outworked a Buffalo defender to clean up the crease drive.

The Sabres got some life with just 11.6 seconds to go. Jochen Hecht drews two defenders and found Thomas Vanek alone in front. Reimer had no chance to stop the sniper's high shot.

The Leafs have an 11-9 shot edge.

SECOND PERIOD

7:56 p.m.: And they're off.

7:59 p.m.: Mike Weber heads off for delay of game with 17:52 to go.

8:05 p.m.: The Sabres kill a five-on-three but don't get a chance to celebrate as MacArthur scores on a rush shortly after it ends. It's 3-1 Toronto with 14:20 to go. More on what set up the five-on-three in a minute.

8:09 p.m.: Tim Connolly feeds Jason Pominville from behind the net for Pominville's 20th goal with 13:35 to go. It's 3-2 Toronto.

8:10 p.m.: And just like that, with 13:05 to go, it's 3-3. Carl Gunnarsson fumbled the puck right in front of his own net, and Niedermayer quickly slipped it past an unsuspecting Reimer.

8:13 p.m.: OK, so to catch up -- Tyler Myers took a holding penalty 51 seconds after Weber's delay of game. Phaneuf then speared Gaustad just below the belt (yeah, there), so Gaustad responded with a two-hander. The exact sequence played out once again. Thus, the five-on-three with some hostilities.

The Sabres killed it, but as they were exhaling, Kadri went around Connolly at the blue line and set up MacArthur. And now they're playing with 11:37 left.

8:22 p.m.: Vanek unsuccessfully tries feeding Connolly on a two-on-one with 7:25 to go.

8:25 p.m.: The Leafs are back in front. MacArthur's long breakout pass finds Kessel at the Buffalo blue line. He feeds a streaking Mikhail Grabovski in the middle of the zone, and Miller only gets a piece of the attempt. It's 4-3 Toronto with 5:13 to go.

8:37 p.m.: The Sabres exited the dressing room in a one-goal deficit, and they head back in with the same. It's 4-3 Toronto, with the Sabres holding a 23-21 shot edge after a 14-10 period.

THIRD PERIOD

8:55 p.m.: Somehow, two assists were just awarded to Niedermayer's goal. Anyway, game on.

9:02 p.m.: Gaustad mixes it up with Mike Komisarek with 15:29 to go, with each getting a roughing call to set up a four-on-four.

9:03 p.m.: It's a four-on-three after Stafford is forced to trip a driving MacArthur with 14:59 to go.

9:04 p.m.: Miller gets a quick look from athletic trainer Tim Macre with 14:48 left after taking a blast from Phaneuf off the collarbone area.

9:06 p.m.: Sabres again kill their penalties.

9:11 p.m.: Vanek goes for hooking wwith 11:47 left. Sabres entered game killing 42 straight Toronto power plays.

9:13 p.m.: Big save by Miller on Boyce from point-blank range with 9:05 left to keep it 4-3.

9:15 p.m.: The usual road game standing ovation for a military member with 8:28 to go. Boyce goes for hooking.

9:21 p.m.: Miller again comes up huge, stopping Joffrey Lupul with 6 minutes left.

9:27 p.m.: Mike Weber goes for goalie interference with 2:55 to go.

9:30 p.m.: The Leafs avoide virtual elimination with a 4-3 victory.

---John Vogl

TORONTO -- The Maple Leafs have skated out of their last two meetings with the Sabres feeling pretty good, with good reason. Buffalo's usual punching bag has counterpunched well in the past two, earning victories for a two-game winning streak.

If the Sabres end their slide against Toronto tonight, they can basically end Toronto's season.

A regulation win would give Buffalo 87 points and a nine-point lead in the Eastern Conference standings over the Leafs, who have just 10 points left to get after tonight.

"We hate losing to these guys," Sabres forward Jason Pominville said. "We just don’t like them. Every time we play them it seems like it brings the best out of both teams.

"We have an opportunity tonight to kind of put them away, and hopefully we can do that because there would be no better feeling than to push them back and not give them that hope."

---John Vogl

TORONTO -- Mike Grier, nursing a sore knee, took part in the Sabres' optional morning practice and is a game-time decision for tonight's game against Toronto in Air Canada Centre.

Grier skipped Monday's practice, a common occurrence lately as he struggles with the ailment, but he hasn't missed a game since March 8. The only healthy player definitely out for the Sabres tonight is defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani, who underwent assistant coach James Patrick's intense post-practice skate.

Coach Lindy Ruff said there is no further update on defenseman Jordan Leopold (hand) or forward Patrick Kaleta, who was scheduled to see a doctor Monday for a checkup on his knee.

The audio of Ruff's chat with the media -- featuring talk about the Maple Leafs, the Sabres' improved play and goaltender Ryan Miller -- is below.

---John Vogl

Ryan Miller stopped 83 of 85 shots, went 3-0-0 and posted two shutouts in three games last week, and that was enough for him to be named NHL First Star of the Week today. Corey Perry of Anaheim was No. 2 and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who had two shutouts and was 2-0-1, was named No. 3.

"It's nice this time of year to have a little stretch where you're recognized like that I guess," Miller said after practice today in HSBC Arena. "It lines up with the way we've been playing as a team, really paying attention to detail and with good emotion in the game. I guess that's exactly what we need this time of year. A goalie a lot of times can be a difference-maker but is really a reflection of the way the team plays."

Miller posted an 0.67 goals-against average and .976 save percentage last week. After struggling early with injuries and the team's poor play, Miller has improved his record to 33-21-8 with a 2.58 GAA and .916 save percentage. His 220 career wins are 14 shy of Dominik Hasek's franchise record, so he should be looking at that sometime early next season.

The Sabres play Tuesday in Toronto and Miller's 24 wins and four shutouts against the Leafs are his most against any opponent. The Rangers are here Wednesday and Lundqvist has been red-hot, stopping 77 of 78 shots in his last three games (0.32 GAA and .987 save %). His team, however, has scored just three goals, posting a pair of 1-0 wins and a 2-1 shootout loss to Ottawa.

As for the injury/roster updates, Lindy Ruff gave the media this rundown:

---Jordan Leopold's trip to see a hand specialist was postponed because he has come down with the flu. So it will be a few more days before that appointment can take place.

---Mike Grier was held off the ice because of his sore knee but Ruff does not expect him to miss any time.

---Nathan Gerbe missed practice today due to a family issue but will rejoin the team tonight in Toronto and will play tomorrow.

---Mark Mancari and Marc-Andre Gragnani are both with the club. Ruff said Gragnani may be kept around as an extra defenseman because he can also play forward. Ruff said Tyler Myers has been dealing with a rash from some flu medication he's been taking but should be able to play tomorrow as well.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

The Sabres have just opened practice in HSBC Arena and Marc-Andre Gragnani has joined the team from Portland. Jordan Leopold, as expected, is not on the ice after suffering his hand injury Friday night.

The big news is the absence of red-hot Nathan Gerbe for practice today. No idea what happened to him Saturday although he did take a couple pretty big shots against the Devils. Mike Grier, who limped off a couple times Saturday with what Lindy Ruff said was an aggravated knee, is also not here so we'll have to find out his status after practice as well.

The Sabres have not really decided on defense pairs without Leopold it seems. Tyler Myers is running drills with Chris Butler and Andrej Sekera while Steve Montador is going with both Mike Weber and Shaone Morrisonn.

The forward lines look like this:

Vanek-Connolly-Pominville
Ennis-Hecht-Stafford
Boyes-Gaustad-Niedermeyer
Mancari-McCormick-Gragnani

In addition, Jhonas Enroth remains here splitting time with Patrick Lalime.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The Sabres are off today and return to the practice ice Monday morning to get ready for another huge week. They play Tuesday at Toronto, host the red-hot New York Rangers on Wednesday, play Saturday night in Washington and then play next Sunday in Carolina. So that quartet of games will pretty much determine their fate. They've got a five-point lead with seven to play. They're 4-0-1 since Lindy Ruff anointed the final dozen as a "best-of-12" and challenged his team to win seven. 

So all they really need to do is hold serve and they'll be in. Here's a look at a wild Saturday in the NHL starting in the good ol' B-Lo:

---The Sabres have completed the long, slow climb from 3-9-2 into the playoff race. And now they're looking up, perhaps as high as sixth in the East, after Saturday's 2-0 win over the stick-a-fork-in-em-Devils.

---One bummer from Saturday's game: The news that Jordan Leopold is done for the regular season, and probably longer, with a broken bone in his hand. He's been a real key for the offense from the backline.

---Bucky Gleason writes about the shared journey Lindy Ruff and Devils coach Jacques Lemaire have experienced this season in bringing teams back from a long way out. Ruff got over the top while Lemaire's team has run out of time.

---The Devils played the first period like they thought their season was indeed over. Guess your $100 million player shouldn't announce publicly he thinks his team is done, like Ilya Kovalchuk did after Friday's loss in Pittsburgh. The Devils are now on a franchise-record scoreless streak since they landed in Jersey in 1982.

---Speaking of scoreless, the Canadiens and their fans have to be in full-blown panic mode after the Habs endured a third straight shutout for the first time since 1949 in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the visiting Capitals. Montreal had a season-low 18 shots on goal in the game and has gone 186:05 without a goal. Carey Price says the boos from the Bell Centre fans are warranted. Ya think?

---Henrik Lundqvist posted his career-high 11th shutout and his defense blocked an incredible 29 shots in the Rangers' 1-0 win at Boston. New York is 8-1-1 in its last 10, knocking aside thoughts that John Tortorella's coaching style was wearing the team down. Wednesday night at HSBC should be terrific hockey.

---The Hurricanes are down to their last gasp and weren't happy about a goaltender interference call against Erik Cole that proved costly in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Lightning. How much of a relief would it be for the Sabres to have that game in Raleigh next Sunday not mean the difference between in or out?

---The Sabres can almost certainly eliminate the Leafs with a win Tuesday after Toronto fell Saturday in Detroit, 4-2. The Wings got a big scare when goaltender Jimmy Howard suffered an upper-body injury on Toronto's second goal and had to leave the game. But he's listed as day-to-day.

---One player who is not day to day is Kings sniper Anze Kopitar. He suffered a broken ankle (right) in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Avalanche and that puts a major crimp in LA's hopes. The Kings have a six-point lead over ninth-place Dallas, which has eight games left, but how far can they go in the playoffs without their leading goal scorer and without Justin Williams (separated shoulder)?

---Can the defending Cup champion Blackhawks actually miss the playoffs? Sure can. They have just a one-point lead on Calgary and a two-point edge on Dallas with eight games left after a 2-1 home loss to Anaheim that allowed the Ducks to jump one point ahead of Chicago into seventh.

---And finally, in the late-night special that ended after 1 a.m., the Flames posted a 5-4 shootout win in Edmonton -- after trailing, 4-1, entering the third period. Chicago has 88 points, Calgary 87 and Dallas 86. The Flames, however, have only five games left.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Photos: The Sabres celebrate Saturday's win (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News) and Anze Kopitar in agony (Associated Press)

Greetings again from HSBC Arena for the second half of the final home back-to-back on the Sabres' schedule. It's the Sabres and the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres split one in November (Los Angeles-Tampa Bay) and have gone 1-0-1 in the other two (beat Atlanta/lost to Detroit in shootout, beat Atlanta/lost to Nashville in overtime). So a win tonight gives them their first home back-to-back sweep of the season.

There should be big roster news from the warmup (confirming the scratches) so we're starting the live blog early. Keep it here.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

6:30 p.m.: The teams take the ice and it is, as we speculated this morning, Mark Mancari and Jordan Leopold who are out tonight with Steve Montador and Jochen Hecht back in the lineup.

7:05 BULLETIN: Darcy Regier just met with the media in the press box and informed us Jordan Leopold will be seeing a hand specialist Monday. He has a broken hand and will definitely miss the rest of the regular season. His status for potential playoff games is uncertain.

THIRD PERIOD

Of note: Every score out of town is going the Sabres' way. Carolina down, 3-2, to Tampa Bay. Montreal still down, 1-0, to Washington and Toronto down, 2-1, at Detroit. This could be a big, big night in the standings and suddenly make sixth place a realistic possibility for the Sabres.

8:46 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

17:08 left: McCormick for high sticking. Came right after Miller made three point-blank stops on the first shots of the period for either side.

15:36 left: Grier limps off (right leg). Got tackled with Mark Fayne at the right point and might have gotten a skate.

13:29 left: Faceoff. Brodeur made good stops on Hecht and Pominville, with Hecht's shot leaking through but going just wide of the post.

12:43 left: Old friend Henrik Tallinder goes for tripping.

10:40 left: No clincher on the PP like the Sabres got last night. Still have to work through these last 10 minutes.

6:00 left: Gerbe hauled down hard behind the net by Clarkson but no call. Clock keeps ticking. There's 14 minutes left in Carolina and the Lightning still lead, 3-2.

5:39 left: Grier comes back on and gets hit again. Same leg. Limps off.

2:59 left: Miller stops Tallinder from the point. Shots are 9-5 for the Devils and 29-28 for New Jersey in the game.  If he can hold on, Miller would tie his career high with five shutouts on the season.

1:30 left: Clock ticking.

38.7 left: Faceoff on offside. Brodeur out.

10.9 left: Faceoff after icing. Bad call. The Devils made the pass down the ice. It should be over.

0:00: And now it is. A 2-0 win keeps the playoff express on track. Final shots were 30-28 for Devils in Miller's fifth shutout.

SECOND PERIOD

Of note: Tampa Bay and Carolina are 2-2 after one. Washington leads Montreal, 1-0, late in the first while Toronto trails, 1-0, at Detroit.

7:57 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

14:10 left: Kovalchuk fires just wide and the puck bounces off the backboards through the crease. Kovalchuk then limped off (was typing..sorry didn't see what happened---update he blocked Vanek's shoot-in with his leg). There are loads of empty seats. Lots of folks stuck outside in the concourses because there's so few whistles. Listen to the two-minute bell, people!

13:00 left: Shots are 6-3 for New Jersey. Devils quite a bit more interested.

12:00 left: Miller with a neat save on an Elias deflection.

11:32 left: Rick Jeanneret has the T-shirt launcher -- and he just made the ice from the press box with two missiles. Dude is dangerous.

10:40 left: Tough hit on Weber by Palmieri. Weber is gimpy going off.

8:27 left: Clarkson alone in front of Miller. Goes to a couple dekes and backhands it wide. Sabres would do well to return to this one. Shots are 20-18. It was 14-3.

6:56 left: They keep showing this dude in a Cleveland Browns jersey dancing on the HD board. He keeps getting booed loudly. Didn't know there was that much Browns hatred here. Not like he's got a Jets, Patriots or Dolphins tog on.

4:25 left: Brodeur with the nifty glove save on Gerbe from the slot.

3:33 left: Ennis for tripping. First penalty of the night.

1:59 left: Elias for boarding after he smacked Pominville in the corner in the New Jersey zone.

End-2nd: Sabres survive to hold their 2-0 lead. Shots were 10-7 for the Devils and 23-19 for Buffalo through two.

FIRST PERIOD

7:07 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Boyes-Butler-Montador. Goal: Miller
Devils starters: Elias-Zubrus-Rolston-Tallinder-Fayne. Goal: Brodeur

16:00 left: Hecht is reunited with Vanek and Pominville. The other lines are Gerbe-Gaustad-Boyes (for Mancari, who has been returned to Portland), Ennis-Connolly-Stafford and Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier.

15:43 left: That little rat Gerbe sneaks around from behind the to Brodeur's left and fires a laser from the faceoff dot just under the bar. Gerbe's 14th. Sabres lead, 1-0.

13:00 left: Wonder if Ilya Kovalchuk thinks the Devils are done tonight?

10:00 left: Maybe the Devils are. Shots are 9-2 for Buffalo.

8:00 left: This baby is flying with no whistles basically. We've played 12 minutes in 15 minutes of real time.

4:38 left: We finally have a whistle. Shots are 11-3. Devils look pretty disinterested. Wow. Just lost 10 minutes, 14 seconds with no whistles! This is the first TV timeout. Crazy. Looks like Hecht is now between Stafford and Ennis.

3:43 left: Vanek pops home a Pominville rebound from the edge of the crease after Connolly wins a faceoff.  Sabres lead, 2-0. Shots are 14-3. Devils playing exactly like Kovalchuk said. They're done. Vanek's first goal since March 13.

2:00 left: Miller takes  a slapper right off the mask from Brian Rolston. He's a little stunned. Takes the mask off at the whistle.

:32 left: Miller's best save on Nick Palmieri from in tight.

End-1st: Sabres hold their 2-0 lead but Devils came on in the last three minutes. Shots were 16-9.

I think $100 million man Ilya Kovalchuk made a big mistake last night in Pittsburgh when he said "I think we're done" when asked about the Devils' playoff chances. Now, Kovalchuk is certainly right. The Devils' 1-3-1 slide has basically ended their hopes, leaving them 10 points behind the Sabres with eight to play. It was a great run as they cut a 27-point deficit to six.

Still, I'm not of the ilk that any player -- let alone the big-money star -- should run up the white flag. Speaking to Devils' beat reporters prior to tonight's game, New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire clearly understood both sides to the argument but said he sympathized with Kovalchuk too

"You've got to be realistic," Lemaire said. "If Buffalo would lose their goalie the rest of the season and they would lose (Tyler) Myers, (Jason) Pominville and (Derek) Roy. If they were all at the hospital, maybe you would have a chance. I won't say we're done, but I will say it will be tough. It gets tougher and tougher."

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

It's a big night in the Eastern Conference as the Sabres host the Devils, the Hurricanes host the Lightning, the Canadiens host the Capitals and the Leafs travel to Detroit. Be sure to join us in the 6:30 p.m. range as warmups begin for tonight's live blog from HSBC Arena.

We've already had one huge game played this afternoon as the New York Rangers held on for dear life to post a 1-0 win at Boston. That puts New York even with Montreal at 87 points (but the Canadiens have a game in hand they'll play tonight), and four points ahead of the Sabres (83 with two in hand going into tonight).

Henrik Lundqvist recorded his NHL-high 11th shutout of the season and really held the fort in the third period as Boston had a 12-1 advantage in shots on goal and buzzed the Rangers' zone. What impressed me the most as I watched was the way the Rangers defense helped him out with an incredible 29 blocked shots in the game. Dan Girardi and Brian Boyle combined for nine.

In the face of injuries and a pop-gun offense, the Rangers have been terrific in recent games. They're idle until playing the Sabres here Wednesday and will come into that game on an 8-1-1 streak. It is odd, however, how their offense has disappeared. The Rangers have just three goals in the last three games -- but have somehow managed five of six points! Prior to that, they had 17 goals in the previous three games. Weird.

So here's the up-to-the-minute standings in the bottom half of the East heading to 7 p.m.

5. TBL, 89 pts, 74 GP
6. MON, 87 pts, 75 GP
7. NYR, 87 pts, 76 GP
8. BUF, 83 pts, 74 GP 
9. CAR, 80 pts, 74 GP
10. TOR, 78 pts, 75 GP 

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Jochen Hecht (five games, upper body) and Steve Montador (three games, lower body) will end their injury-induced absences tonight when the Sabres host the New Jersey Devils. Coach Lindy Ruff confirmed the changes his morning after his team's optional skate but would not say who is coming out of the lineup.

However, Mark Mancari skated extra and is expected to be the scratch to make room for Hecht. On defense, Ruff said there is an injury that necessitates Montador's return. He would not specify who was hurt but it's believed to be Jordan Leopold, who was shaking his hand on the bench last night late in the second period after crashing into Ryan Miller and the net while running down Florida's Ryan Carter on a short-handed breakaway.

Ruff confirmed that Ryan Miller will again be in goal for his sixth straight start. Tyler Myers, who nearly missed last night's game with the flu, is fine and will also play.

The Devils, meanwhile, are expected to be without defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Colin White tonight and have recalled Jay Leach from Albany. 

The Devils started 10-29-2 and were 27 points out of the playoffs on Jan. 8. Then then went 23-3-2 to get as close as six points of eighth place. But they have finally fallen off, going 1-3-1 in the last five games and scoring just five goals in that stretch.

Three of those goals came in the lone win, a 3-0 victory over Columbus. The Devils scored just one goal in losses at Ottawa and Boston, and were shut out by Washington and again last night in Pittsburgh in a 1-0 shootout defeat. They're now 10 points behind the Sabres with just eight games to play but Ruff still said today he was amazed by how far they rallied under coach Jacques Lemaire, who returned to the bench after John MacLean was fired.

"I thought it was incredible. I really do," Ruff said. "To come from where they were at and climb to a possible playoff position ... and have the record they did until this last week, I think everybody in the league, especially everybody in the East, was taking a look at what Jersey was doing. You have to give Jacques a lot of credit for walking in and getting that team going in the right direction."

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

The playoff race continues tonight in HSBC Arena as the Sabres meet the running-for-the-offseason Florida Panthers. Will be definitely keeping an eye on the out-of-town board tonight as the Hurricanes are in Tampa for a 7:30 start and  the gasping-for-air Devils are in Pittsburgh at 7. New Jersey is here tomorrow night and the Sabres will just miss the return of Zach Parise.

 The Devils are simply running out of time after their miraculous run as they enter tonight's game nine points out with nine games to play and this looks like their do-or-die weekend.

Not much to say about the Sabres' game yet. It's the start of yet another back-to-back, their 18th of 22 this season. The Sabres are 9-7-1 in the first half and 7-8-2 in the second. Buffalo has swept two sets, split 13 and been swept twice.

Keep it here for more updates.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

7 p.m: All seven defensemen take the ice for the Sabres. There is a rumor that Tyler Myers is ill but he is taking the warmup. So is Steve Montador. Stay tuned.

7:30 p.m.: Sabres scratch Montador. Myers is in. 

Sabres starters: Gerbe (big hand when he was introduced)-Gaustad-Mancari-Butler-Leopold. Goal: Miller
Panthers starters: Booth-Reasoner-Dadonov-Weaver-Garrison. Goal: Vokoun.

Third Period

9:21 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Gaustad returns to take the draw.

13:43 left: Miller with a nice pad save on Weiss. Shots are 3-2 for Buffalo.

10:48 left: Samsonov for hooking. Sabres need to get a clincher right here.

10:17 left: There you go. Pominville's shot from the point is deflected home by Leopold. What was he doing there? Sabres lead, 3-1.

10:04 left: And that's going to be it for the Panthers. Stafford makes a steal at center ice and puts home an Ennis rebound. His second of the night and 28th of the year. Sabres lead, 4-1. Two goals in 13 seconds.

8:45 left: Mancari goes for slashing. Carolina takes a 3-1 lead in the third at Tampa, which is really struggling of late. Looks like Buffalo lead will remain at three points.

6:19 left: Penalty killed. Shots are 8-4 for Buffalo in this period (29-18 game). This is called taking care of business.

5:00 left: If Sabres hold on -- and they better -- they will improve to 17-16-4 at home. It will mark the first time this year they have more home wins than regulation home losses. Remember, they started here 0-6-1 so they've spent nearly five months climbing back.

2:43 left: The fans are doing the wave. Really? Ugh. OK. At least we get some hip music to it with the Hawaii Five-O theme. But still. Very 80s.

1:30 left: Ennis stopped in tight after a great move to avoid the defense. Good thing he did or he might have lost a knee.

2.5 left: Panthers beat Miller for a meaningless goal to make it 4-2. Evgeny Dadonov.

It's over: A solid 4-2 win. Carolina leading 4-1 with 5:00 left so no change there. Final shots were 32-24 for Sabres.

Second Period

8:28 p.m. The puck is dropped. AP eagle eye Bob Matuszak spots no David Booth on the Panthers' bench.

17:27 left: Ennis has been a maniac in this game, skating all over the place. He dumps it to  Boyes and his backhander is tipped home by Stafford for his team-high 27th. Sabres lead, 2-1. Stafford's first goal since the March 6 overtime winner at Minnesota, a drought of six scoreless games and two missed due to a hamstring strain.

13:35 left: Shots are 5-2 for the Sabres in this period. A good start.

10:00 left: We've played half the period in 12 minutes of real time. Almost no whistles.

9:35 left: Finally a whistle on a Vokoun save. Shots are 7-2 for Buffalo. Booth will not return tonight according to the Panthers.

9:11 left: Weiss for elbowing Gaustad. Pretty high. Looked a little like Crosby-Steckel although this didn't look all that accidental. Gaustad to the room.

8:39 left: Vanek absolutely robbed by Vokoun with the left pad trying to wrap the rebound around the Florida goalie.

7:52 left: Leopold and Connolly avert disaster at the point as Leopold gets back to snuff Ryan Carter's breakaway attempt. The net came popping off behind Miller and Leopold was shaking his left hand going back to the bench.

6:34 left: A dangerous game with the weak Panthers hanging around. Shots are 20-10 for Buffalo (10-4 in this period)

5:02 left: Carolina takes a 2-1 lead in the second period at Tampa Bay.

3:50 left: Gerbe goes for tripping, a quick takedown of Samsonov at center ice.

2:36 left: Miller with his best save of the night, moving to his left to rob Dmitry Kulikov with the glove. Came a few seconds after Weiss' shot was tipped through teh crease but not into the net by MIke Santorelli.

1:38 left: Sabres survive the Florida power play.

1:00 left: Miller stops a Marty Reasoner deflection after some rough work in his own zone by Leopold.

9.4 left: Miller again as Santorelli breaks in through the circle. Shot gap cut to 11-8 by Panthers.

First Period

18:37 left: Pominville pounds home a rebound from the edge of the crease after Vanek ends up on his butt in the crease bumped into Vokoun. They ruled he was pushed in there. Sabres lead, 1-0, on Pominville's 19th.

17:42 left: Referee Bill McCreary talked to Panthers coach Pete DeBoer about the goal and said he was going to call a cross-checking penalty on Keaton Ellerby for the bump on Vanek and that's why the goal stood. McCreary, by the way, is working his final regular-season game in Buffalo tonight in a career that dates to 1984. The longtime NHL official is retiring after the season.

15:59 left: Myers certainly looked ill there. Falls to his knees in front of his own net and lets go a weak backhander that's easily intercepted by Sergei Samsonov. He backhands one past a clearly surprised Miller to end the Panthers shutout streak at 135 minutes, 21 seconds. Game tied, 1-1.

14:23 left: Vokoun with the nice stop on Morrisonn and the rebound by Ennis.

12:51 left: The Edge sends its thanks to the Panthers Radio Network for some pregame air time. Longtime NHL defenseman Randy Moller, who played parts of two seasons in the 90s with the Sabres, is the Florida radio voice and his goal calls are wildly popular in the Sunshine State. Moller is best known for his days with the Quebec Nordiques and also played with the New York Rangers before finishing his career with the Panthers in 1995.

11:39 left: Boyes stoned from in front on great Ennis feed. Shots are 8-3 for Buffalo so far as Vokoun has been excellent.

8:30 left: Excellent attention to detail by the game staff to again put NCAA Tournament scores up on the out-of-town board. Just noticed Kansas has an early 25-9 lead on Richmond. So much for the Cinderella.

5:10 left: Not many whistles here. Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari still causing plenty of havoc in the offensive zone. No substitute for hard work. Shots are 9-4.

2:35 left: Kansas is up on Richmond 33-11 and North Carolina leads Marquette, 36-15? No drama for CBS and TBS early, that's for sure. Meanwhile, Carolina and Tampa Bay are 1-1 in the first period.

2:31 left: David Booth to the dressing room for the Panthers after taking a puck to the mouth.

End-1st: Tied at 1-1. Shots were 10-6 for Buffalo. Panthers outscored Buffalo, 8-1, in the first period of their four meetings this season.

The Sabres are playing in front in the standings and hope to do that on the ice tonight against the wounded Florida Panthers, who are 14th in the East and have been shut out in two straight games.

It would be a change from the way Buffalo has played against Florida this season as the Panthers have outscored the Sabres, 7-0, in the first period of the three meetings. The Panthers were blanked Tuesday in Madison Square Garden and again Wednesday in Chicago, with goaltender Tomas Vokoun calling out his teammates after that 4-0 defeat.

"Their desperation should be greater," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said today when asked about the Panthers' shutout streak, which is at 131 minutes, 24 seconds. "Any time you haven't been on the board offensively, there's always a push to be better. That makes them a club I consider more dangerous."

Florida has been without leading scorer Stephen Weiss the last two games with a leg injury and he's doubtful for tonight.

The Sabres have a three-point lead on Carolina for eighth place and the Canes have a toughie tonight at reeling Tampa Bay, which is just 2-4-4 in its last 10. The Sabres can pull within two points of the idle Rangers and four of idle Montreal with a win and still keep a game in hand over both of those teams.

"When you're chasing, you're looking at hopefully getting some help," said Brad Boyes. "Where we're at is the point that if we can just do things for ourselves and play well, we control our own destiny."

"We're in a situation where we don't have to look behind us," Ruff said. "If we take care of what we have to do, we're in good shape for the rest of the year."

Ruff said Steve Montador will be a game-time decision tonight. He's missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.

"He's doing pretty good," Ruff said. "He's not 100 percent but he's doing well."

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)