Jhonas Enroth is well aware the Sabres are 0-2 in Buffalo this season. The goaltender doesn't see that as any reason to put more pressure on himself tonight.
Enroth will get his second start of the year when the Sabres welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to First Niagara Center. Enroth won his only start, making 29 saves in a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 15.
"It's just another game for me. That's how I'm going to approach it," Enroth said after the morning skate. "It's just two games [at home]. We're not going to worry about it."
The Sabres (5-3) will skate without defenseman Mike Weber (healthy) and forward Jochen Hecht (concussion) for the ninth straight time to start the season. As expected from someone who played in 58 regular-season games and all seven playoff outings last year, Weber isn't taking the demotion well.
"Not very well, and no player should," coach Lindy Ruff said. "He was a good part of our team last year. It’s a tough situation. There’s some things that I’m still trying to make up my mind on, the importance of certain individuals and whether we should rotate a couple of individuals. Short term, he’s the guy that’s taking the bullet."
The "individual" is rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani. The power-play specialist has three assists and is plus-5, though the man-advantage unit is in a 1-for-17 slump.
"It’s definitely a need part," Ruff said. "We feel we have a certain need for who’s in the lineup and just evaluating whether that still has to be a big part of our team."
The audio of Ruff's news conference is below.
---John Vogl
