Derek Roy said he's 100 percent healed, and the Sabres center is ready to play Tuesday for the first time since needing quad surgery in late December. He comes back just in time, with the Sabres traveling to Philadelphia for Game Seven to decide the winner of their first-round series.
"It's a great experience to go out there and know that all is on the line," Roy said today after practice in HSBC Arena. "It's going to be a moment that will last forever."
Roy is needed because the Sabres will be without center Tim Connolly, right wing Jason Pominville and have other banged-up players in Mike Grier, Patrick Kaleta, Andrej Sekera and Jochen Hecht. News columnist Jerry Sullivan asked Lindy Ruff if it reminds him of the string of injuries that derailed the Sabres in 2006, when they lost to Carolina in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference finals.
"Yeah, but I wrote a different script to this one, Jerry. We've got a fairy-tale ending to this one," Ruff said with a smile.
Sully responded, "Derek scores the winner."
"That's right," Ruff said. "That's right. I've already got that one. I can almost work at The News -- I wouldn't want to, but ..."
For audio of Roy and Ruff, click the files below.
---John Vogl
Derek Roy
Lindy Ruff
