Sabres Edge

PITTSBURGH -- The Sabres' sudden injury situation isn't going to evoke any sympathy from the Penguins. They've been without Sidney Crosby since early January and without Evgeni Malkin since he injured his knee in the collision with Tyler Myers on Feb. 4. Brooks Orpik, Arron Asham (concussion) and Mike Comrie (hip) are all out too. Chris Kunitz (lower body) has missed 13 games and is a game-time decision tonight.

The news section of the Penguins' Web site has a full report on the team's activities this morning with notes, quotes and video. They have one of the best sections in the league for live game-day news. Definitely worth a look.

Defenseman Paul Martin logged a season-high 35 minutes, 26 seconds of ice time in the Penguins' 2-1 overtime loss Friday at New Jersey, then played another 28:36 in a 3-2 overtime victory in Boston 24 hours later. The Jersey minutes were inflated because Kris Letang was ejected early for not having his sweater tied down during a fight (the Rob Ray rule)

I asked Martin after the Pens' skate how the team has managed to stay afloat -- just two points out of the East lead -- in the face of all the injuries.

"No matter who is out there, we've maintained our desperation," Martin said. "They're all important games to us as well as the team we're playing. You can't look ahead for games and wait for the playoffs to show up. We still realize how important it is to play every night. Most other teams you play are desperate for a playoff spot. Every point matters so much. You just go with who you have."

On the one hand, you wonder how far the Pens can go in the playoffs if Crosby doesn't come back. And there's still no timetable for No. 87's return, which is getting bleaker by the day. The Penguins are just 4-4-4 in their last 12 and have played four straight overtime games going into tonight. But they're battlers. An interesting team to watch deal with adversity. Especially now.

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

PITTSBURGH -- Thomas Vanek will not play tonight, Lindy Ruff said after today's morning skate. Vanek, Buffalo's leading scorer (23-32-55), is the player who came down with the flu after Sunday's win in Minnesota.

"Thomas has got the flu pretty bad," Ruff said. "He hasn't left the hotel yet. No chance."

So the Sabres are suddenly very depleted for tonight's game against the Penguins. Vanek, Jochen Hecht, Mike Grier and Patrick Kaleta are all out. Mark Mancari played Sunday and he's joined tonight by fellow Portland Pirates Luke Adam and Mark Parrish.

"We need Mark to come in and play well," Ruff said. "We need Luke too. Obviously. we've got almost half their team there. They've been going good. Hopefully, it's good for us."

Adam has been at wing recently in Portland and may start there tonight on a line with Brad Boyes and Drew Stafford. Paul Gaustad-Tim Connolly-Jason Pominville and Mark Mancari-Tyler Ennis-Nathan Gerbe also skated together this morning. But knowing Ruff, those combos could be scrapped in one rotation so we'll see.

Vanek will be a loss to the power play and Hecht, Grier and Kaleta have seen major penalty-killing time so Ruff said some new forwards will be called upon in that role tonight. 

Jhonas Enroth remains with the team so the Sabres don't need to use another recall from the AHL. Ruff said Enroth will play again this weekend, either Saturday in Toronto or Sunday at home against Ottawa.

Parrish, 34, is coming off back-to-back four-point games in Portland and will skate with Cody McCormick and Rob Niedermayer. He was signed to a tryout offer in training camp and the Sabres tucked him away in the minors, where he overcame a torn groin that cost him several weeks to post 35 points in 42 games. Parrish has 216 NHL goals, including six 20-goal seasons and a career-high 30 with the New York Islanders in 2001-02.

Here's audio from Parrish today:

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

PITTSBURGH -- Thomas Vanek must be the unknown Sabre with the flu who is questionable for tonight. He is not on the ice for the morning skate in Consol Energy Center.

The Sabres are going with three goalies as Jhonas Enroth has remained with the team. Mark Parrish and Luke Adam have both reported from Portland and are on the ice. Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier are skating in red (non-contact) jerseys so they will definitely be scratches.

The line combinations appear pretty jumbled and hard to peg (disclosure: I missed an early drill hoping to hear Pens coach Dan Bylsma but he took forever so I bailed on him). The power play combos are Stafford-Connolly-Pominville with Leopold and Sekera at the points, and Ennis-Gerbe-Boyes with Mancari and Myers at the points.

More after the skate.

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

PITTSBURGH -- The Sabres are getting mighty thin up front and Patrick Kaleta's knee problem appears to be the biggest injury issue they're facing right now, coach Lindy Ruff said this morning during his weekly appearance on WGR Radio.

The coach revealed Kaleta has gone back to Buffalo to have further examination of his knee, which was struck by a slapshot from Minnesota's Greg Zanon just at the second-period buzzer Sunday night. Ruff said after the game that X-rays on the knee were negative. He said this morning that the knee started to swell here Monday and Kaleta could be out an extended period of time. That doesn't sound good. You have to wonder if another X-ray is going to find a broken bone.

Ruff revealed today that Mike Grier's lower-body injury is a groin problem and that the veteran will skate this morning but it sounded like he's iffy for tonight. Jochen Hecht will also skate today but Ruff said he will not play.

It sounds like the Sabres will be calling up veteran Mark Parrish from Portland and Ruff said there might even be another callup because another player, whom he did not name, is sick with the flu and might not be available tonight. Would imagine that would be Paul Byron or Luke Adam.

9:19 a.m. update: The Sabres tweet they have officially called up Parrish and Adam.

Yeesh. The Sabres skate at 11:30 at Consol Energy Center so we'll have the updates later today.

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

PITTSBURGH -- Fresh off the best run of his NHL career, Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera was named the Second Star of the week by the league today. Sekera had a goal and seven assists in the four games as Buffalo went 3-0-1 to start its road trip, which continues here Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sekera, in fact, is on a streak of multiple-point games -- two in each of his last five outings. The only other Buffalo defenseman to do that in franchise history was John van Boxmeer in 1981. And all of this came, remember, after Sekera sat out as a healthy scratch. That's how you respond.

The No. 1 star was Calgary's Jarome Iginla while the No. 3 star was Montreal goalie Carey Price.

After three games in four nights, the Sabres canceled their scheduled practice this afternoon in Consol Energy Center. The team reported that the only players who skated were Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier, who both sat out Sunday's win in Minnesota with injuries. (Disclosure: I was not there. No direct flights from Minnesota to here and baggage claim at Pittsburgh International was an inexcuseable 40 minutes).

Lindy Ruff said yesterday that Grier was improving and I would say he's a good bet to be in the lineup tomorrow night. He could simply fill in for Patrick Kaleta, whose bone bruise on the knee from stopping a slapshot at the end of the second period Sunday is almost certainly going to need a few days to improve.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Greetings from somewhere near Bemidji, which is seemingly the height of the press box in the XCel Energy Center as we get set for the Sabres and the Wild. But don't think I'm just blindly griping. This is one of the most spacious places I've been to. There's even hooks for your coats a few feet behind each seat. The view is sensational. It's just high-high-high. But they got big monitors right in front of us for replays. This will work fine. And great elevators. Hey, Calgary and Edmonton: Look, no catwalks!

And the people? Couldn't be any nicer. Press box attendants, elevator attendants, food service workers in the press room (kudos to the frisbee-sized chocolate chip cookies), anyone you meet here. There's even a by-name greeting to all of the Buffalo media in the game notes. Blown away.

So now that I've extended all the thanks, I got one small quibble: The Wild is making the Slug gaffe. You know. That one. Using the Sabres' old logo in their building. Now, the graphic on the scoreboard is correct. Some places haven't figured that one out yet (I'm talking to you, Islanders). But there are banners for every NHL team in the rafters here -- a great touch -- and Buffalo's is the old, ugly slug (it's in the back row in the shot at left, almost directly across from my seat in the rafters. Click the pic for a bigger view).

I know that Ted Black, and by extension Terry Pegula, are taking notes on just about everything since they took over. I certainly have my lists but here would be one of the biggest I would say to them on behalf of fans: Eradicate the slug. Everywhere. No TV networks should make the mistake (that's you, TSN). No arena scoreboard graphics, no banners, nothing.

And the big one: By opening day next season, I expect the slug to be gone off the scoreboard at HSBC Arena. It was pure laziness that it wasn't gone this year. And I'm sure there was money involved too. Those big slugs are involved in the smoke after goals, etc and lots would have to be changed so I don't think anything will be done this year. But that's not the logo anymore. The fans hate it. They got their classic swords back. Now it's time for the Sabres to go all the way with it and tell everyone in the hockey world loud and proud how they want to be represented.

My memo to the Sabres when it comes to details like that and so many others: You're in the NHL. Act like it. Too many corners cut in recent years that will hopefully be rounded off now.

End of rant. Stay tuned for notes from the warmup and our live game blog as the Sabres go for the points to finally get into the top eight in the East.

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

Warmups: Jhonas Enroth in goal for the Sabres with Patrick Lalime backing up. Ryan Miller will get a total night off like he did Feb. 15 in Montreal. Jose Theodore in goal for Minnesota and he's been hot (2-1-, 1.61 GAA, .959 save pct in his last four appearances). ... Buffalo has all seven defensemen on the ice. We'll see if Mike Weber sits again. Assume that would be the case. ... No Cal Clutterbuck for the Wild after he was felled by the ridiculous hit from behind from Islanders thug Trevor don't-call-him-Clark Gillies. That got a richly deserved 10-game suspension.

The scratches are in: Mike Weber, Mike Grier, Jochen Hecht, Ryan Miller.

The Wild's radio team is seated right next to me and they had a question about the Sabres' goaltending situation that I answered. Then the gent introduced himself. It's longtime former Minnesota North Stars defenseman Tom Reid, the Fort Erie, Ont., native who was a longtime owner of a well-known sporting goods store that catered to hockey. Awesome. You just never know who you'll meet in this gig.

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta-Butler-Myers. Goal: Enroth
Wild starters: Brunette-Cullen-Miettinen-Zidlicky-Zanon. Goal: Theodore

OT

Of note: It looks like a rib problem for Ennis on the bench.

4:14 left: Stafford wins it with a spectacular goal. Shades of Pominville '06 the way he cut in front. His 26th. Sabres win, 3-2

Third Period

7:48 p.m. The puck is dropped. As you would expect, no Kaleta on the bench. Mancari takes his spot with Gaustad and Gerbe.

17:00 left: Two good saves by Theodore on Ennis and a Niedermayer backhand.

15:13 left: Another close call as Connolly steals in the zone and fires one off the post past a beaten Theodore. The Sabres officially announce Kaleta will not return.

12:32 left: No doubt this is a better period for the Sabres so far. Shots are 7-4.

11:00 left: Another near miss for Niedermayer on the backhand and a scrum develops with McCormick getting the better of Clayton Stoner. 

6:00 left: Still tied.

5:40 left: Enroth with the save of the night on Andrew Brunette on a breakaway as he tried to deke to the backhand.

1:54 left: Long, long stretch with no whistles. We should note the Sabres would move into eighth if they get a point here. They would have 71 points in 65 games while Carolina has 71 in 66. But, of course, they want two. How about another Enroth shootout win?

40.6 left: Another injury problem as Ennis was taken down behind the Wild net and is in pain at the bench. Wrist/shoulder/rib? Hard to tell from up here. 

On to OT: We're tied at 2-2 and the Sabres officially move into eighth place in the East. Shots are 32-26 for Buffalo. The Sabres are 6-7 in game-deciding OT goals this year. The Wild are 5-1. Meanwhile, Buffalo is 5-1 in shootouts and Minnesota just 2-5 

Second Period

6:57 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Sabres have 1:18 left on the power play.

18:40 left: PP ends as Stafford and Vanek are foiled on great chances. But another terrible point giveaway, this time by Leopold, gave the Wild's Madden a chance to break out but his shot went wide. That keeps happening.

17:56: STOP THE GAME. ROB NIEDERMAYER HAS SCORED. Pounded a Sekera rebound between Theodore's legs for, finally and amazingly, his first of the year. Sabres lead, 2-0.

12:26 left: The Wild is getting chances. A loose puck just went in front to John Madden but he fired it wide.

11:55 left: Leopold for hooking. Terrible call. Barely touched the Minnesota forward -- who then crashed into Enroth. We've seen lots of goaltender interference calls on that one this season.

8:41 left: Wild also struggling on the PP, drawing lots of boos. Shots are currently 14-14 and you have to like how sharp Enroth has been, out at the top of the crease and moving well. Helps that the Wild have fired wide on a few good chances.

5:47 left: The Wild finally get close as Warren Peters has a tap-in on a 2-on-1 with Brad Staubitz, with Leopold late on the scene and Morrisonn doing little to guard the play. It was an awesome long pass from deep in the defensive zone from Brent Burns to set it all up. Sabres lead, 2-1.

3:59 left: More trouble. Myers goes for hooking.

2:27 left: Bigger trouble. The Wild converts as Marek Zidlicky one-times a low shot along the ice past Enroth after a great pass from Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Game tied, 2-2. I guess a 2-0 lead is the worst one in the NHL to have. Insane.

End-2nd: It's 2-2 and shots are 20-17 for the Wild (14-11 in that period). Just at the horn, Kaleta blocked a bullet from Greg Zanon and was down in a heap. Looked like a direct hit on the left foot. Going from bad to worse here.

First Period

6:08 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

18:37 left: Pominville puts Buffalo on top on a 2-on-1. Great pass from Montador on the backhand coming up on the play put Pominville at almost the same spot as yesterday's winner in Philly. Vanek with the steal at the Sabres line set it up. Great start. Sabres lead, 1-0.

17:50 left: Stafford barely misses a rebound from in tight that would have put the Sabres up two in a hurry.

17:07 left: Theodore stops McCormick on a 2-on-1 and the rebound just gets past Niedermayer, who would have had a tap-in for his first of the season. Wild VERY loose so far.

15:30 left: Just watched the replay of the near-miss. Niedermayer simply stopped skating and watched McCormick. If he goes hard to the net, he has an easy goal. Another terrible play by a guy who should know better.

14:03 left: Nidermayer slapper stopped by Theodore. Shots are 4-0 for Buffalo. McCormick pulled away out of the zone to start a 3-on-2. He's skating very well so far.

13:04 left: Wild's first shot is a good one from Antti Miettinen from the right circle.

11:00 left: Shots are 5-2 for Buffalo. The lines so far have been Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta, Vanek-Boyes-Pominville, Ennis-Connolly-Stafford and Niedermayer-McCormick-Mancari. Defense pairs stay the same: Butler-Myers, Sekera Montador and Leopold-Morrisonn.

10:36 left: Nice save by Enroth on Matt Cullen on a 2-on-1 after the puck hopped past Morrisonn in the neutral zone.

8:30 left: Vanek is going to score in his homecoming if this keeps up. He's had the puck on a string. Just undressed Greg Zanon to get in alone but shot wide.

6:10 left: Zidlicky for hooking a few seconds after Sekera took an awfully high hit from Brad Staubitz in the corner that wasn't whistled.

4:10 left: A zero power play. No shots. No zone time. Nothing. Bad passing, No retrievals.

42.5 left: Guess they'll try it again. Chuck Kobasew for hooking Stafford, who drove hard into the Minnesota end.

End-1st: Sabres hold their 1-0 lead as Enroth stops John Maddon on a partial break with six seconds left after Sekera's shot from the point is blocked. Poor point play is a reason for all these short-handed goals. Just can't keep happening. Shots were 6-6. Sabres had just two in the final 14 minutes.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- With no morning skate today, Lindy Ruff just held his pregame session with the media upon his team's arrival at the XCel Energy Center for tonight's matchup against the Minnesota Wild. On the injury front, Ruff said Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier were both day to day and Grier was feeling better today. So that's a good sign.

In the wake of yesterday's win in Philadelphia, I asked Ruff about his club's continued penchant for giving up short-handed goals and what adjustments the Sabres might make. Frankly, I'm of the ilk to scrap four-forward alignments, especially with Tim Connolly at the point, and spend more time just using two defensemen back there.

The Sabres have scored only two shorties and have given up an NHL-high 12, with Kimmo Timonen's goal yesterday coming after Ruff called a timeout hoping his power play would produce a 4-2 lead. But they're plus-11 on the season in all other goal situations. Ruff would have none of my thought of going a little more defensive at times as the season winds down.

"I'm not going to coach the game scared if we get scored against because we're trying to score goals in key situations," he said. "The appropriate measure in yesterday's game was to try to make sure we get the fourth goal. If we change our power play unit, all it does is send a message that we don't want to score and we're going to take a safer approach. I don't think we're at that place at this time of the season."

Hard to argue with that. Ruff wants to go for it. I really liked the answer. It was a defiant, push-forward attitude reflective of how this team has played lately.

A point today finally puts Buffalo into eighth place. The Sabres are 4-0-2 in their last six overall and 7-1-1 in their last nine on the road. Going back even more, they're 17-7-4 since Dec. 28 and 28-16-6 since Nov. 5.

I guess he can say who am I to argue, right? We'll see.

Stay tuned for today's live blog.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It's a big day for the Sabres from the sunny, chilly Twin Cities as they play the Minnesota Wild tonight at 6. After months of climbing back from that terrible 3-9-2 start, the Sabres can crack the top eight of the Eastern Conference with one point tonight and move ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes with a win. In fact, Buffalo could actually jump from ninth to seventh with a win tonight and a regulation loss by the Rangers in their 12:30 game against Philadelphia (that one is on NBC).

Here's a look at some items from around the NHL, starting with yesterday's big win over the Flyers:

---The Sabres were in a 2-0 hole, came back, gave up a short-handed goal and finally got over the top for a huge 5-3 win over the Flyers. Memo to Lindy: It's time to use two defensemen on the points on the power play and go a little more conservative. You're minus-10 in shorties this season.

---Today is a big homecoming for Thomas Vanek, who led the University of Minnesota to the 2003 Frozen Four title in HSBC Arena.

---The Flyers have lost three straight for just the second time all season and their lead over Boston in the Eastern Conference is down to just two points. Coach Peter Laviolette is worried they're not matching the intensity level of their opponents. Certainly true yesterday. The Sabres were clearly better over the final 40 minutes. The Bruins, meanwhile, had a seven-game winning streak snapped with an overtime loss to the Penguins. The Sabres, remember, are in Pittsburgh Tuesday and Boston on Thursday.

---I was suprised the Sabres called up Mark Mancari since they seem so thin in the middle and Paul Byron and Luke Adam were both available. Portland beat Bridgeport last night, 8-3, as the tiny Byron completed, of all things, a Gordie Howe hat trick. Without Mancari, Portland tied its season high in goals and set a season mark with five power-play tallies. The Pirates are an AHL-best 20-4-5 at home. Hey, send some of that mojo up to the big boys!

---The Rangers are hoping Marian Gaborik can play today as he's still trying to get back from a concussion. 

---Remember when the Blackhawks were languishing in 10th or 11th place and it seemed the defending champs might miss the playoffs entirely? Next case. They've won eight straight after Saturday's 5-3 win in Toronto and climbed to fourth in the West. Rookie goalie Corey Crawford has unseated Marty Turco and earned every win in the steak. By the way, Patrick Kane & Co. have a big trip planned for Friday to meet another major Chicago booster: President Obama. Kane says he's bringing his camera.

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo became the 25th goalie in NHL history to win 300 games (see the full list here) as the Canucks won at Los Angeles, 3-1, in the late-night special.

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

MINNEAPOLIS -- The game in Philadelphia is over but the road trip continues and the news doesn't stop as I sit in a starkly vacant US Airways terminal upon landing. While I was in the air, the Sabres officially called up Mark Mancari from Portland for Sunday's game against the Wild in the wake of the injuries to Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier, who left Saturday's game in the second period. Mancari is currently third in the AHL in scoring with 64 points (32-32) in 56 games. 

Saturday's 5-3 win in Philadelphia was one of those rush-for-the-plane affairs that didn't allow you to soak in all that was going on or collect the kind of notes you normally might after an afternoon contest.

So on the flight to Minnesota, I collected some of these thoughts/statbits:

---The Sabres are really thin in the middle, especially with Hecht out. So they put Brad Boyes there between Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Pretty good combination and Lindy Ruff said he liked how Boyes handled the middle for the first time all season. Still, Boyes is best on the wing. I was wondering if we'd see Luke Adam or Paul Byron Sunday but Mancari got the call. Byron, by the way, had a Gordie Howe hat trick for Portland in Saturday's 8-3 win over Bridgeport.

---The Sabres' six-game point streak (4-0-2), all with Terry Pegula in charge, is their longest of the season. They've also got points in the last six on the road, the first time they've done that since October, 2008.

---The Flyers were 21-2-1 when leading after the first period. And they are now 28-6-3 when scoring first -- but have lost four times in the last week doing that! 

---Wonder if Ruff is going to try to use two defenseman on the points on the power play to cut down on the short-handed goal tally. It's at 12 and counting after Kimmo Timonen's goal Saturday and the Flyers had two other good chances as they took advantage of Tim Connolly at the point. The Sabres have scored only two so they're minus-10 in short-handed goals. That means they're plus-11 in all other situations!

---This was the first time the Flyers lost in regulation when leading by at least two goals since a 6-5 loss to the Sabres on Oct. 11, 2006. Many of you emailed to say you remember that one, a game the Sabres won on a Grier goal in the dying seconds.

---Wish all players would react to a benching like Andrej Sekera. He has four straight two-point games since returning to the lineup, collecting two goals and six assists.

---The Sabres blocked 29 shots, the most this year by a Flyers opponent. The Flyers attempted a whopping 83 shots in the game while Buffalo had only 57.

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

PHILADELPHIA -- Greetings from high atop the Wells Fargo Center for today's Sabres-Flyers matinee. I always enjoy this press box. We're way up there near the Flyers' Stanley Cup banners but it's comfortable -- and there are plenty of hot pretzels, popcorn and bulk candy dispensers about a 45-second walk behind me. 

The press box pretzels are just one yum alert here. Also took some time last night at one of my favorite comfort food haunts: The Oregon Diner (another recommended-by-Bucky special that I became a veteran of during the 2008 and 2009 World Series).  It's one of those 24-hour places with a 3,000-page menu (OK, I'm kidding but it's long and worth a look) that includes everything from filet mignon to breakfasts that you can order at all hours of the day.

I stayed simple: chicken noodle soup, chef salad, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, apple pie. You might say conservative but I say I want the simple stuff done right and done well or I don't come back. I keep coming back, so that tells you what I think.

Folks who have been coming here to Flyers games all season have been watching what we did in Buffalo last year -- the demolition of their old home. The Spectrum is a gaping, hulking shell (left, click for bigger view) that was flapping in a stiff breeze as I walked around it on a windy, sunny morning today. Odd to see a few red seats just hanging, a couple alleyways with section markers and No Smoking signs askew, even some old car ads leading into the vomitories.

The Flyers and 76ers left the building in 1996 but it stayed open for 13 more years, hosting the AHL Phantoms, other minor sports like soccer and lacrosse and concerts. I was here during the 2009 World Series when the final events were held, a series of Pearl Jam concerts. The end of the era was front-page news here -- even while the Phillies were battling the Yankees across the street at Citizens Bank Park.

And while every Buffalo child of the 70s has nightmares of the Broad Street Bullies and what happened in 1975, you do have to give it up the Spectrum. In addition to all the great Flyers moments, you had the 76ers' championship seasons and Dr. J's famous scoop layup during the 1980 finals against the Lakers and the Christian Laettner shot for Duke against Kentucky in 1992.

I was fortunate to cover several Atlantic 10 tournaments there, including St. Bonaventure's run to the 2000 finals. It gave me a chance to walk the bowels of the old barn but I made sure to keep eyes in the back of my head for the ghost of Orest Kindrachuk. It will re replaced by a retail-entertainment complex known as Philly Live

OK, enough chatter. It's almost game time.

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

Third Period

2:56 p.m The puck is dropped. How long before my connection does?

16:59 left: Miller with a neat glove grab on Leino.

15:55 left: Gaustad stopped on a 3-on-1.

13:23 left: Sabres take the lead as Vanek uses the drop pass to Boyes as a deke and dumps it to the crease where Pominville taps it home. Vanek pumps his glove. That had to feel good after what happened to him in the second period. Sabres lead, 4-3.

11:46 left: Miller for delay. Puck over glass. No one near him.

11:04 left: This just in from the Sabres -- Mike Grier has a lower body injury and will not return. Gonna need a forward from Portland with him and Hecht apparently on the shelf unless you move a D-man (Butler or Sekera) up front.

9:00 left: A Pominville blocked shot helped kill the PP but he took it right on the foot and isn't feeling too well on the bench.

7:08 left: Sabres holding on. Flyers have a 32-31 edge in shots and Buffalo is doing a good job keeping the puck out of dangerous areas.

3:04 left: Still holding on. So is the Internet here.

1:17 left: Bobrovsky out. Icing on Buffalo.

1:04 left: Gerbe hits the empty  net. Sabres lead, 5-3. Huge.

It's over: A 5-3 win. On to Minny.

Second Period

2:01 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Sabres still have 1:04 to kill on the Leopold penalty. By the way, it's only four hours, five minutes till my flight leaves for Minnesota!

18:36 left: Sabres kill it off with no trouble and Bobrovsky stops a Sekera backhand on an end-to-end rush. Like how he used the linesman as a screen to create space as he entered the Philly zone.

15:11 left: Pronger for tripping Pominville.

13:08 left: Just as the penalty expires, Stafford takes a pass from Vanek from behind the net and beats Bobrovsky. Nice steal in the circle by Ennis to feed Vanek. Stafford's 25th. First in 9 games. Flyers lead, 2-1.

11:12 left: The Sabres tie it at 2-2 as Kaleta is knocked into the crease and Ennis' pass to the slot somehow goes in with Kaleta and Sean O'Donnell banging into the crease. No review. Game tied, 2-2.

End-2nd: Apologies for my total techno meltdown. No internet for about a half-hour. I heard Paul Hamilton was doing play-by-play live for a spell because WGR's MSG connection was down too. Weird. Anyway it's 3-3 through two and I have a plane to catch in three hours so I'm writing a lot. Sekera put Buffalo ahead and Timonen tied it for Philly with yet another short-handed goal. It came a few seconds after a Vanek one-timer for a 4-2 lead was stopped by Bobrovsky. Shots are 23-22 for Philly (13-13 in the second period)

First Period

Of note: Weber, Hecht, Enroth are officially named the scratches. Gerbe and Niedermayer both in. Carcillo, Boynton and Shelley scratched for Philly. Jeff Carter, who was expected to be out after the death of his grandfather, is in.

Sabres starters: Stafford-Niedermayer-Kaleta-Montador-Sekera. Goal: Miller
Flyers starters:  Hartnell-Briere-Leino-Meszaros-O'Donnell. Goal: Bobrovsky

1:09 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

17:09 left: Shots are 1-1. The Buffalo lines look like this: Stafford-Niedermayer-Kaleta, Vanek-Gaustad-Pominville, Ennis-Connolly-Boyes, Gerbe-McCormick-Grier. On defense, it's Sekera-Montador, Butler-Myers and Morrisonn-Leopold.

15:51 left: First close call was a shot from Kimmo Timonen that had Miller beat but clanked off the post. Some big "Let's Go Buffalo" chants from the upper deck to my right here drew plenty of boos from the Flyers' fans. There are a ton of empty seats here. Must be a late-arriving crowd or traffic or something. Odd.

14:02 left: McCormick goes for hooking Richards. It was a makeup call because he probably should have been gone a few seconds earlier for sticking his leg out and dumping Richards. Flyers, remember are just 1 for last 23 on the PP.

12:44 left: Carle for hooking Grier, who lost the puck on a breakaway after a nice feed from Connolly. Kind of a ticky-tack call frankly.

11:54 left: Powe for interference on  Ennis, right off the faceoff. Two-man advantage for 1:10. Huge chance.

11:23 left: Vanek stopped on tip of Connolly shot.

9:55 left: The two-man ends as Richards dominates Connolly with a shot block and then simply outmuscorling him for the puck at the point. Terrible work there.

9:03 left: Morrisonn gone for delay of game -- puck over glass. Shots are 7-4 for Buffalo. 

7:16 left: Naturally, the Flyers' PP wakes up against Buffalo. Versteeg with an open net for a tap-in to MIller's right after a great pass from the corner from Richards. Versteeg snuck behind Myers and Grier late to help. Flyers lead, 1-0.

3:50 left: Butler limps off after a collision at center ice with Versteeg and Gerbe. He's still on the bench trying to collect himself.

2:38 left: Tim Connolly has been so soft in this game, it's ridiculous. Bumped off the puck again easily at center ice by James van Riemsdyk, who then goes around Morrisonn and beats Miller with a backhand flip to the top corner. You'd like that save made but such terrible play in front of him. Flyers lead, 2-0.

56.7 left: It gets worse. Leopold for interference.

End-1st: Flyers up 2-0. Shots are 10-9 Philly. 

PHILADELPHIA -- Stay tuned for our live in-game blog on a separate thread but this quick note first: Ryan Miller has led the Sabres on the ice for warmups here in the Wells Fargo Center, and that role is almost always taken by the starting goaltender. Patrick Lalime also took the ice and there's no sign of Jhonas Enroth.

That old jokester Lindy Ruff certainly knew what he had up his sleeve but wasn't tipping his hand one iota when I spoke to him yesterday along with WGR's Paul Hamilton and MSG/Sabres.com's Kevin Sylvester. Enroth was called up last night so I would assume he is playing tomorrow in Minnesota.

It's not official, of course, until the starting lineups are announced but this is your first real indication. Looks like Brian Boucher will go for Philadelphia.

Other roster notes: Jordan Leopold is on the ice and Mike Weber is not. Chris Butler apparently survives. Not the move I would make. Weber was minus-1 Thursday at Carolina -- his first minus outing in 16 games. No Jochen Hecht either so Rob Niedermayer is back in. Guess Hecht's "maintenance day" yesterday was a little more serious than the Sabres anticipated. Weber practiced fully yesterday so I assume he's a healthy scratch. Andrej Sekera's strong play of late has created a logjam on defense. No way he's coming back out.

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

Goalie Jhonas Enroth joined the Buffalo Sabres this evening in Philadelphia, and the team made his callup from Portland official in an email sent to media outlets at 10:09 p.m.

It's likely Enroth will start Saturday afternoon against the Flyers, although that determination won't be known until pregame warm-ups. 

Enroth is 3-2-1 with a 2.69 GAA and .906 save percentage for the Sabres this season. All three of his wins have been in shootouts, giving him the distinction of being first goalie in league history to win his first three NHL games via the shootout. No one else had done that in their first two victories.

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

PHILADELPHIA -- It was freezing at the Penn rink so I got out of there after practice. And on the way back to the hotel, I had to get the takeout version of the best cheesesteak there is -- Jim's on South Street. Gotta give it up to Bucky Gleason, who turned me on to Jim's several years ago from his days at AP Philadelphia over better known places that are essentially the touristy Anchor Bar of steaks. Got the cheesesteak with Cheese Wiz (called simply "Wiz" here) and mushrooms.

Found this picture above of Jim's grill line in a Google search and that's pretty much what I had looks like (click for a bigger view). Delish. So that explains the delay in getting you some more updates. 

Apologies. I figure you understand. Onward with hockey talk:

---Lindy Ruff confirmed today the Sabres will, in fact, split goalies this weekend at Philadelphia and Minnesota. But in true Ruff fashion, he only smirked when he said it and wouldn't go into details. Jhonas Enroth was practicing in Portland today so when I asked Ruff if it was Enroth, he coyly said, "We haven't announced anything yet."

If Enroth doesn't come to Philly tomorrow, I find it hard to believe they would send him all the way to Minny for a game. Wondering if Ruff might go with Patrick Lalime against the Wild. Western Conference team, so no four-point swing. And don't forget Minnesota is the team Lalime was embarrassed most against last March, getting booed unmercifully in HSBC Arena after a bad giveaway led to a goal. Sometimes, Ruff likes to let players make up for such things. We'll see.

---The lineup: Ruff said all players will dress for the warmup tomorrow when asked if Rob Niedermayer goes back in. I'm thinking Niedermayer does against the Flyers. Same for Jordan Leopold, who seemed OK in practice today. They certainly could use him over Chris Butler on the power play.

---The Sabres are thrilled that Brad Boyes has scored in his first two games with the club and it's a good thing because Thomas Vanek (only goal in the last 10 games is an empty-netter) and Drew Stafford (no goals in eight games) have suddenly hit the wall. 

"Our key guys are going to have to score," Ruff said. "We're getting away a little bit without Staff on the board, without Van on the board. We need those key guys to put pucks away in those key situations."

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

PHILADELPHIA -- The Sabres have just opened practice at the University of Pennsylvania's dark, dark Class of 1923 Arena. Good thing it's a sunny day and there's windows going to outside at the top or we would really be talking some dark shadows.

Anyway, the first bit of news is that Jhonas Enroth is not here. Patrick Lalime and Ryan Miller are manning the nets. Doesn't necessarily mean anything yet for the weekend. Just means that Enroth isn't here today. We'll see how that plays out.

Also of note is the fact that Jochen Hecht is not on the ice for practice. He played 18:13 last night, including the overtime shift, so this could be just a maintenance day and not any sort of big injury. Rob Niedermayer, a scratch last night in Carolina, is skating between Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford. Jordan Leopold is also on the ice. We'll have to wait for word from Lindy Ruff after practice about the status of the question marks.

The look of the lines is as follows:

Vanek-Niedermayer-Stafford
Ennis-Connolly-Boyes
Gerbe-Gaustad-Pominville
Grier-McCormick-Kaleta

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

PHILADELPHIA -- Greetings from the City of Brotherly Love, where the Sabres are scheduled for a practice that should begin in the 12:45 range today in the University of Pennsylvania's Class of 1923 Arena. The players are slated to dress at the Wells Fargo Center, which is taken up today by prep for tonight's 76ers game, and then bus to Penn. The rink is right next door to the Palestra, the fabled Mecca of college sports. Your former hoop writer-turned puckhead might be trying to sneak inside there.

Among today's issues:

---Is Jhonas Enroth on hand to get ready to play in one of the games this weekend?

---Is  the injured Jordan Leopold going to be ready to go? The power play sure could use him, based on last night's fatal 0-for-5 showing.

---Does Rob Niedermayer get back into the lineup? He might. The Flyers are a bigger-type team. I could see Niedermayer and Nathan Gerbe flip-flopping again.

Quickly moving on from last night's crusher in Carolina that was covered by John Vogl has to be a big topic. The Sabres remained two points out of eighth place, but now they're chasing the Rangers instead of the Hurricanes. Carolina plays tonight in Chicago, giving the Sabres another game in hand on them but also giving the Canes a chance to pick up two more points.

The Canes might be in a little bit of a rebuild mode, but they're intent on pushing up the standings too.

In today's Raleigh News & Observer, Jamie McBain's overtime winner was a huge thrill after he took a third-period penalty. Fans are indifferent in ACC country, however, and didn't fill the building for last night's showdown even though there wasn't a big basketball game in the way.

Meanwhile, the Sabres figure to meet an angry opponent Saturday. The Flyers lost last night to Toronto, 3-2, and have dropped two straight for the first time since late December. Their power play is just 1 for its last 23, they have several players battling the flu and now there are questions about rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. It's going to be Bob or Brian Boucher but, after all, the Flyers got two wins away from the Stanley Cup last year with Michael Leighton.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Some people say there shouldn't be hockey in the South. To that, in keeping with the Carolina barbeque day, I say hogwash.

It's so cool to pull into the RBC Center parking lot and see folks tailgating, playing street hockey -- just being outside to enjoy the weather. It's only about 50 today (was in the 60s Wednesday), but the sun is shining and folks were in the lots well before the game. Good stuff.

Speaking of good (nice segue, eh?), the week's tour of "Man vs. Food" spots continued twice today. Had lunch at The Pit in downtown Raleigh, a joint that smokes the whole pig. No, not just parts you eat -- the whole gosh darn pig. I got the chopped BBQ, with black eyed peas, a biscuit and (as my late grandmother would've also gotten) sweet potato fries and hush puppies.

It was all really good, with the finely chopped BBQ so marinated in The Pit's Eastern Carolina sauce that I didn't need to add more.

What did need to add more of was food. I ain't a portly dude, but I like to eat, and it didn't come close to filling me up. So I walked a few blocks to the Roast Grill, another tiny MvF place that serves hot dogs and .. that's about it. Got one with mustard and chili. The 80-year-old chili recipe was good, but the dog itself sure wasn't a Sahlen's. We are spoiled in Buffalo.

So while it was neither a shimp and grits at Hominy Grill in Charleston, S.C. (good boiled peanuts, R.C), a pastrami at Katz's or a chicken fried steak at Lulu's Cafe in San Antonio (which my son Ty called his favorite restaurant ever), they were worth the time.

Speaking of time (another nice segue, eh?), it's time to start cranking on the Notebook. Be back for puck drop.

FIRST PERIOD

7:08 p.m.: It's two of the busiest goaltenders in the NHL in the crease, with Cam Ward making his 24th straight start for Carolina in his league-high 58th appearance. Ryan Miller is playing his 53rd game, tied for fourth in the league.

7:09 p.m.: Bryan Allen channels Brian Campbell and fires the puck over the glass for delay of game just 24 seconds in. Buffalo on the power play.

7:11 p.m.: Canes kill it. New Sabres President Ted Black has talked about improving the in-game experience in Buffalo, so he should send his game presentation folks here. Carolina does it the best in the league, starting with the usual pregame video of Buffalo legend Jim Kelly saying, "Let's go, Canes!" He was, of course, talking about his Miami Hurricanes, but it never gets old.

7:14 p.m.: Nathan Gerbe doesn't start well in his bid to keep Rob Niedermayer benched, taking a tripping penalty with 15:43 to go.

7:17 p.m.: Good kill by the Sabres ends with 18 seconds left as Jeff Skinner goes for high-sticking with 14:01 to go.

7:21 p.m.: First commercial comes with 9:52 to go, with no score. Lots of action, with Buffalo holding a 9-5 shot edge. Jochen Hecht and Allen also took turns flattening each other. Playoff-type game, as it's supposed to be.

7:25 p.m.: Two terrible passes by Chris Butler forces Miller to make a close-range save on Skinner with 8:56 to go.

7:29 p.m.: Sabres kill the penalty, with Miller making big blocker save on Jiri "Lusty" Tlusty. Unlike the former Maple Leaf, Miller didn't get caught with his pants down. (Google it.)

7:33 p.m.: No score with 4 minutes left, but only because Thomas Vanek slipped past Ward but slid his shot along the goal line rather than in the net with 5:32 to go. Shots are 9-7 for Buffalo. Chad LaRose goes off for interference.

7:38 p.m.: It's a kill again.

7:40 p.m.: The teams head to the dressing rooms scoreless, with Buffalo holding an 11-7 shot edge.

SECOND PERIOD

7:58 p.m.: I keep finding ways for Ted Black to spend the Sabres' time and money. He should also send the Sabres' media relations/publications man on the road to see firsthand how other squads handle in-game stuff. The Rangers and the Hurricanes this week were quick to deliver notes about the periods. Boston does it, too.

8:02 p.m.: I nearly always refrain from opinion because I'm paid to be an objective observer, but after observing Butler tonight, it's my opinion he sits when Jordan Leopold comes back against Philadelphia.

8:05 p.m.: Defenseman Steve Montador gives the Sabres a 1-0 lead with 15:25 go. Tyler Ennis missed Tim Connolly with a pass, and it's a good thing because the puck went to Montador at the point and his slap shot appeared to glance off Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason and into the net.

8:09 p.m.: Tlusty ties it with 13:14 to go. Brandon Sutter's backhand hits the post but draws Miller out of the crease. Shaone Morrisonn blocks Jamie McBain's attempt into the open net, but then the Sabres defenseman slides the puck to Tlusty in front. He doesn't miss the open net.

8:12 p.m.: And for the record, having a Storm Squad improves the Canes' in-game experience, but that's only a small part of why I think the club is the best.

8:15 p.m.: Brad Boyes makes another bid to become a favorite of Buffalo fans, scoring his second in two games to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead with 9:48 left. Montador knocks down Andrej Sekera's shot in front, and the carom goes to Boyes for an easy dump-in.

8:18 p.m.: Miller causes his own problem as the Hurricanes tie it up, 2-2, with 8:02 left. Miller goes behind the net and tries a clearing pass, but he flutters it to Skinner in the corner. Skinner feeds LaRose in front, and he scores before Miller could get set.

8:21 p.m.: Since we're not in Buffalo, the crowd delivers a standing ovation for Homeland Heroes.

8:30 p.m.: It's still 2-2 with 3:01 left. Sabres have an 18-13 shot edge.

8:35 p.m.: The teams head to the dressing room tied at 2-2. Sabres hold an 18-15 shot edge.

THIRD PERIOD

8:53 p.m.: The Sabres are 9-3-4 when tied after two. The Hurricanes are 7-5-5.

8:58 p.m.: LaRose shoots over an empty net with 16:22 to go, and Ward gloves Boyes' backhand with 16:01 to go to keep it 2-2.

9:05 p.m.: Carolina calls timeout with 12:38 left after icing call. It's 2-2.

9:10 p.m.: Jamie McBain (no relation to the Simpsons character) goes for holding with 10:22 to go.

9:14 p.m.: It's the Hurricanes' turn with the man-advantage. Drew Stafford gets caught as the last man back while getting a new stick, and Erik Cole turns him inside out on a one-on-one. Stafford slashes Cole to stop him from scoring with 8:21 to go.

9:20 p.m.: Sabres PK comes through. It's 2-2 with 4:27 left. Sabres have a 28-22 shot edge.

9:22 p.m.: Rangers are losing 3-1 with a minute left.

9:24 p.m.: Staal goes for tripping with 3:39 left.

9:27 p.m.: Penalty killed.

9:28 p.m.: We're going to ...

OVERTIME

9:31 p.m.: MBain blows a slap shot through Miller with 4:34 left to win it for Carolina.

---John Vogl

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Eric Staal, in the midst of his sentence, gave a little nod to the standings board on the wall of the Hurricanes' dressing room. The Carolina captain knows what happens tonight could impact it greatly.

The Hurricanes host the Sabres tonight in RBC Center, and a Buffalo regulation victory will move the Sabres past Carolina and into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. On the other side, a win by the Hurricanes could move them into seventh. They are only one point behind the Rangers, who host Minnesota.

Staal is excited.

"Obviously, there’s still a lot of hockey left, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to get a little separation and climb the ladder. We’re a point behind the Rangers -- they’re playing tonight, too -- and it’s a great opportunity for us to get two points and try and climb that board," the captain said with a nod to the standings wall. "We know it’s a big game, we know we play them a few more times, and we’ve got to beat them. No better opportunity than tonight."

Carolina will start goaltender Cam Ward for the 24th straight game. To hear Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice chat about the game, Ward and the role former Sabres star Tom Barrasso plays in Ward's goaltending, click the audio file below.

---John Vogl

Paul Maurice

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Lindy Ruff, with one extra forward on the Sabres' roster, doesn't want anyone to get stale. The coach's plan is rotate guys in and out on a game-to-game basis to keep everyone relatively fresh.

Nathan Gerbe has a chance to change that plan.

The left winger will return to the lineup tonight against Carolina after sitting out Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Gerbe is replacing Rob Niedermayer, who will be scratched for the second time in his goalless season.

"I’m ready to play and hopefully do well and stay in the lineup," Gerbe said in RBC Center.

The left winger with skate with center Paul Gaustad and right wing Jason Pominville. While Ruff plans to rotate the scratches, he acknowledged Gerbe can change that by playing well.

"Obviously, if Nathan plays really well, it will make a tougher decision," Ruff said. "I would like to see that."

Defenseman Jordan Leopold will remain on the sidelines with an upper-body injury. Ruff said Wednesday he didn't want to rush back the defenseman.

Left wing Thomas Vanek, who skipped Wednesday's practice with a bruised ankle, will play.

"Thomas is doing OK," Ruff said. "You want to have your best players in the lineup when you’re playing big games."

To hear Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller talk about the important matchup with the Hurricanes, click the audio file below.

---John Vogl

Ryan Miller

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Sabres have just taken the ice for their morning skate, and the initial indication is Rob Niedermayer is the odd forward out for tonight's game against Carolina.

The Sabres' first "get the legs moving" drill is for the forward lines to pass with each other up and down the ice, and here are the lines:

Tyler Ennis-Tim Connolly-Brad Boyes

Thomas Vanek-Jochen Hecht-Drew Stafford

Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Jason Pominville

Patrick Kaleta-Cody McCormick-Mike Grier

Niedermayer passed with the defenseman. More following the skate, plus a Carolina update.

---John Vogl

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Thomas Vanek skipped the Sabres' practice today, but there's no way he's going to miss their game against Carolina on Thursday.

"There’s no time to sit out," he said in RBC Center.

The left winger is walking with a limp after taking a clearing attempt by the New York Rangers off his ankle Tuesday night.

"It’s a little bit sore on the ankle, just like I expected. Just took the day off today and get ready for tomorrow," Vanek said. "Like I said, we’ll tape it up and just go."

Defenseman Jordan Leopold practiced fully with the Sabres for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury Friday. Coach Lindy Ruff catergorized Leopold as doubtul for Thursday's game, saying he didn't want to insert the defenseman into a key game without making sure he's back in game shape.

Left wing Nathan Gerbe, who was a healthy scratch during Tuesday's 3-2 victory, will return to the lineup against the Hurricanes. Ruff said a decision will be made Thursday on who will sit out.

For Ruff's comments on goaltender Ryan Miller, defenseman Andrej Sekera and the Hurricanes, click the audio file below.

---John Vogl

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Sabres are on the ice in RBC Center with one notable exception -- Thomas Vanek.

The left winger suffered a left leg injury during the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 victory in New York, but he returned for the third period. He played seven shifts in the final period and was on the ice with 40 seconds to play.

We'll get more on his condition following the workout. The lines with Vanek out:

Tyler Ennis-Tim Connolly-Brad Boyes

Rob Niedermayer-Jochen Hecht-Drew Stafford

Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Jason Pominville

Patrick Kaleta-Cody McCormick-Mike Grier

Defenseman Jordan Leopold, who has missed two games with an upper-body injury, is practicing fully.

Ryan Miller is also not on the ice, though that is certainly to give him rest to play Thursday against the Hurricanes and not injury related.

---John Vogl