Goaltender Ryan Miller did not participate in the Sabres' practice this morning as they prepared for their game Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he did spend about 30 minutes skating on his own after they retreated to the dressing room.
Miller was dressed in full equipment but did not take any shots today. Instead, he put himself through positioning and lateral-movement drills. He planned to intensify his workout during the morning skate Tuesday and remained hopeful about playing this weekend.
"I feel good," Miller said. "It was good to get back and feel the ice a little bit and graduate from there. We'll see what they say after practice tomorrow."
Rookie backup Jhonas Enroth is expected to make his fourth straight start in goal Tuesday when the Sabres play the Bolts. The Sabres earned five of six points with Enroth in the nets since Miller's injury, including a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Sunday.
Miller has been sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury last Tuesday in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He did not travel with the Sabres during their two-game road trip to Washington and Carolina, giving way to Enroth.
Another game off for Miller would give him extra days to come back from whatever has been nagging him. The Sabres have been vague when asked about the injury, and that was the case again today. They have insisted it's not serious. The Sabres finish off their season with back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Columbus starting Friday.
Andrej Sekera was also absent from practice. Mike Grier was dressed in red (non-contact), going through light duty. Patrick Kaleta was on a line, practicing with Rob Niedermayer and Cody McCormick.
--- Bucky Gleason
