Sabres Edge

Maybe come 6:30 tonight when the warmups start, I'll be proven wrong. But I think we've seen the last of Jhonas Enroth for this season.

Ryan Miller has been one of the best players in the entire NHL since the all-star break (16-3-5, 1.90 GAA, .936 save percentage). It seems inconceivable the he doesn't play tonight against the Minnesota Wild in First Niagara Center. There's two days off before Tuesday's showdown in Washington and two more days before the Penguins come to town next Friday.

Lindy Ruff rarely says who is starting in goal the day of a game. He's joked with me a couple times over the years that he'd have to kill me if he told me. He wasn't budging today when I futilely asked again.

"They know who's playing," a smirking Ruff said after his team held a meeting. "I'm not going to tell you. I want the opposition to guess. I made a decision earlier in the week what the schedule is going to be and we're sticking to it."

Realistically though, it has to be Miller. Enroth hasn't played badly, but he also hasn't won a single game since Nov. 26. You don't risk what are potentially the easiest two points left on your schedule by playing him at this point. (The Wild is 13th in the West and just 11-25-7 since mid-December).

The Sabres can take over eighth place with a point tonight but they of course want two. They can pull even with Ottawa for seventh if the struggling Senators lose in regulation to red-hot Pittsburgh and Buffalo wins here. They can even pull without three points of Boston with a win and a Bruins loss at Los Angeles.

With all that at stake, you ride Miller.

"There's a ways to go to get Boston in play yet," Ruff said. "But the fact we've put Ottawa in our sights is important. It looked like a week ago there was going to be one spot up for grabs and now there's probably four teams battling for two."

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

The Sabres' impressive 4-1 win over the Rangers Friday night in Madison Square Garden sets them up for some interesting scenarios with seven games left. Overall, Buffalo is 17-5-5 in its last 27 games and 5-0-2 in its last seven. Heading into tonight's game against the Wild in First Niagara Center, the Sabres are 6-0-2 in their last eight at home.

Want to get maybe a little stupid for a second? Forget nipping the Capitals and finishing eighth in the East. How about winning the Northeast Division and claiming a No. 2 or No. 3 seed? It's suddenly in play.

If the Sabres win tonight and the slumping Bruins lose at Los Angeles, which has won six straight to take over the Pacific Division lead, Buffalo would be just three points out of the Northeast lead (Boston would, however, still have two games in hand).

On Jan. 23, two days after the loss in St. Louis that was their 12th straight on the road, the Sabres were 21 points back. The Bruins have gone 11-15-1 since while the Sabres have put up their 17-5-5 run. Incredible. A win tonight also puts Buffalo two points behind idle Florida (the Panthers would also have two games in hand).

Now, the games in hand make it extremely difficult for the Sabres to actually catch either Boston or Florida. But the fact we can even write the above paragraphs is astonishing in itself given where the Sabres have come from. Here's a look at last night's highlights.

The Sabres have 82 points, tied with idle Washington after the Caps' meltdown last night at home, where they blew a 3-0 lead and lost a 4-3 overtime decision to Winnipeg. I had bid adieu to the Jets for the season on Twitter after the third Washington goal but now they're back in it. Whoops! Winnipeg has 78 points and a game in hand on both the Sabres and Caps heading into its toughie tonight at 7 in Nashville.

Take a look at the Jets' wild comeback in Washington:

Meanwhile, Ottawa is in panic mode after Friday's 5-1 loss at Montreal. Habs forward Erik Cole scored the fastest hat trick in the Habs' storied history by putting his team in a 3-0 lead in the first 5:41 of the game. 

Reeling Ottawa hosts surging Pittsburgh tonight at 7 then plays Monday night in Winnipeg. The Sens, just 3-5-2 in March, still have trips left to Philly and New Jersey and a home game with Boston. Whoa. (Pittsburgh, by the way, is 13-0-1 since its Feb. 19 loss at First Niagara Center). The Capitals are off tonight and get their crack at hosting the Wild on Sunday before hosting the Sabres Tuesday in Verizon Center.

Speaking of Minnesota, here's a cautionary stat for you on the 13th-place team in the West: The Wild have won four straight in Buffalo and haven't lost here since their first visit on Nov. 17, 2000. Fair warning. Sabres need to keep taking care of business. Two points tonight and it's their first four-game winning streak since the Lucic game in November ended their only one this season.

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

NEW YORK -- The Sabres will have their hands full tonight. They play the New York Rangers -- the top team in the Eastern Conference -- and the raucous crowd in Madison Square Garden will be roaring and chanting.

Still, whenever there's a chance, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff will look away from his game. Eighth-place Washington, with just a one point lead over the Sabres, hosts Winnipeg, which is four points back of Buffalo with one fewer game played. The out-of-town scoreboard will earn more than just a peek.

"I look all the time," Ruff said this evening in the World's Most Famous Arena. "I don’t peek. I just look. It’s that time of the year. There’s no use kidding anybody. Some people say they don’t watch. They’re lying to you. For the most part, it’s our livelihood, we want to be there.

"You focus on your job, but at the same time, even last night I’m watching the Washington-Philly game, keeping an eye on it, knowing the fact we’ve got to play them in a little bit. But you’re interested in how they’re making out."

For the full audio of Ruff's pregame chat, click the audio file below.

---John Vogl

Lindy Ruff

NEW YORK -- Only 16 days remain in the NHL season, and this one could have a substantial impact on who makes the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The three teams with the best chance to earn the eighth and final spot play tonight. The Sabres visit the first-place New York Rangers and are sure to face a test in Madison Square Garden. Buffalo is on an 11-2-4 run.

"They've got a chance for probably first overall in the league, and they'll push hard for that," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "At this time of year you want to play good hockey. You want to go into the playoffs on a high, and the fact you clinch I don't think makes that big of a difference."

Eighth-place Washington, meanwhile, will host Winnipeg. The Capitals are one point up on the Sabres with an equal number of games played, while Winnipeg is five back of Washington with one fewer game played.

"We've got a big game [today] against Winnipeg, who we feel is going to be maybe a make-or-break game in our season," Washington forward Troy Brouwer told reporters.

Both games start at 7 p.m.

---John Vogl

There is no reason to exhale in Sabreland. Just because the team finally has the same number of points as eighth-place Washington -- thanks to Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Montreal -- doesn't mean Buffalo can relax.

The Sabres are focused on passing Washington, a quest that restarts Friday in New York against the Rangers.

"We haven’t got anything right now, and it’s the point we’ve tried to make," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said today after practice in First Niagara Center. "We’ve worked hard to get to this spot, but we don’t have anything. We know how tough the schedule is ahead of us. We can’t take a game for granted.

"There’s teams around you. Winnipeg is right there. We’re right there with Washington. Carolina has actually moved up a little bit. So we haven’t achieved anything, and we know that as a team. We know that we’re going to have to win some games that some people are going to expect us maybe this is going to be too tough a task."

One of those games is Friday. The Rangers lead the Eastern Conference and are one of only two teams in the NHL to have clinched a playoff spot, joining St. Louis.

"They’ve got a chance for probably first overall in the league, and they’ll push hard for that," Ruff said. "At this time of year you want to play good hockey. You want to go into the playoffs on a high, and the fact you clinch I don’t think makes that big of a difference."

Sabres left wing Nathan Gerbe, who has an upper-body muscle strain, skated on his own before practice. He has missed four games.

"He’s progressing," Ruff said. "He skated today before practice. He’s feeling better. He’ll skate again tomorrow. He won’t make the trip but will skate on his own. It looks like now he’s starting to make some good progress."

---John Vogl

Lindy Ruff

With only 17 days left in the NHL season, nearly every one will have a game that impacts the Sabres and the Eastern Conference playoff race. Here's a look at today's main event:

Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.

The Sabres and eighth-place Capitals have the same number of points. Washington has played one fewer game, but the teams will be equal after tonight.

The Flyers have won the last two meetings after Washington won the series opener in Philadelphia. Alex Ovechkin has five goals in the last four games, and he's tormented the Flyers throughout his career with 22 goals in 25 games.

---John Vogl

Travis Turnbull's phone rang Tuesday night in Rochester and it was Amerks coach Ron Rolston calling at an odd time. Turnbull immediately figured that was a good thing.

"Ron called me and asked me what I was doing. And I kind of had the feeling [news of a callup] was why he was calling me after dinner," Turnbull said today after joining the Buffalo Sabres for tonight's game against Montreal in First Niagara Center. "It was probably the best thing I've ever heard in my life.

"I'm a guy that really appreciates this. It's so surreal. The feeling is nothing that I've ever really felt before. It's something each and every one of us works for your entire life. To finally be here and get an opportunity to play for the Sabres tonight is unbelieveable."

Turnbull is a 6-foot, 193-pounder the Sabres signed out of the University of MIchigan in 2009. He's played since in Portland and Rochester, and has 12 goals, 15 assists and 94 penalty minutes for the Amerks this year while playing mostly center. He's the son of former NHL player Perry Turnbull, and was born in St. Louis while his dad was playing for the Winnipeg Jets after several years playing for the Blues.

Turnbull will wear No. 65 and replace Patrick Kaleta, who was injured Monday in Tampa and will be out "probably more than day to day" with an upper-body injury (Kaleta was seen in the locker room with a cast on his hand and is believed to have a broken thumb). He could be in the middle between Brad Boyes and Cody McCormick.

"We're replacing the same kind of player, an agitator, scrappy kid who plays on the edge," Ruff said of Turnbull "He's really played hard down there. You bring him in and you're looking for a fourth-line role, there's a couple of choices but Ron thought he'd be the best guy for us. It's a win-win. He's got some good hands, good speed, is a real competitive kid so he'll fit right where he's playing."

Boyes and Derek Roy were excused from skating this morning because they skated yesterday when most of the rest of the team took the day off. Tyler Myers returns from his three-game suspension. The Sabres will go with six defensemen, but Mike Weber and Alex Sulzer both came off the ice at the same time so there's no way to tell who will be a scratch.

The Sabres can pull into a tie with idle Washington for the final playoff spot in the East with the win, although the Caps would still maintain a tiebreaker edge.

Click below for audio from Turnbull and Ruff.

Travis Turnbull

Lindy Ruff

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

Some surprising news from the Sabres Tuesday night -- they have called up Travis Turnbull on an emergency basis from the Rochester Amerks. Turnbull, 25, would make his NHL debut if he plays Wednesday against Montreal.

The Sabres clearly have some sort of injury or illness among the forwards that they are concerned enough about to need another body. Because they didn't practice Tuesday it's hard to tell who it might be.

Thomas Vanek has been largely invisible in recent games and is clearly bothered by neck problems in the wake of the check he took March 7 in Boston from Johnny Boychuk. Another candidate might be Patrick Kaleta, who went on the ice Tuesday with Tyler Myers and may have been testing some sort of injury.

We'll have to wait for Wednesday's morning skate to see what's up. Turnbull has 12 goals, 15 assists and 94 penalty minutes this year for Rochester. He was a 2009 free-agent signing from the University of Michigan. He's the son of Perry Turnbull, a veteran of 608 NHL games in the 1980s.

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

The Sabres defense held up pretty well over the two games in Florida and the team will get a big addition -- literally -- for Wednesday's game against Montreal as Tyler Myers returns off his three-game NHL suspension for drilling Habs forward Scott Gomez last week.

Myers was among a handful of players who took the ice for a brief skate this afternoon in First Niagara Center as the players came to the building for a quick meeting, commonplace late in the season when rest is more important than practice. He's been skating with the team for the last week and said he's plenty refreshed for the last nine games of the season.

"Last night I thought was one of our best efforts of the year," Myers said of the 7-3 win at Tampa Bay. "I think the score showed that and with nine games left we have to keep that going. It's always good to see the guys do well when you're not playing. As hard as it is to watch, it's good to see we got points."

Does Myers think he better watch his back tomorrow against the Habs?

"I'm going to approach it like any other game," he said. "It's in the past. I didn't mean to hurt him. It's not my intention to go in and kill a guy like that. Whatever happens, happens. I'm just going to focus on two points."

The Sabres have been getting a ton of points lately from the line of Tyler Ennis centering Marcus Foligno and Drew Stafford. Foligno has five goals and two assists in five games since his recall from Rochester and the line has a stunning 11 goals, 25 points and combined plus-22 rating in that span.

"We know where each other is going to be and what each other is going can do," Foligno said. "Staff is really big and strong and Ennis is just a waterbug out there. Give those guys space and time and we're going to be dangerous in the offensive zone."

"It's fun to watch them," said coach Lindy Ruff. "They're making a lot of good plays, shown real good creativity in the offsensive zone. They really like playing with each other. Every time you put them out there, you feel like you have a chance to score."

Myers made his mark like most rookies do, in October (of 2009). Few guys jump on the scene in the heat of the March playoff push like Foligno.

"I remember when I first stepped in, it was a pretty tough adjustment," Myers said. "I can imagine what he's going through. He's doing very well,  certainly exceeding expectations."

Ruff said Nathan Gerbe is still struggling to come back from his upper-body strain and that Matt Ellis' knee is improving but that the center is not close to skating. Ruff said he's going to keep all seven of his defense playing, so Mike Weber or Alexander Sultzer may not be a daily scratch now that Myers and Andrej Sekera are back.

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

TAMPA, Fla. -- After seven straight close games, the Sabres finally got a much-needed rout. They trounced the Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-3.

"Those are the games you don’t really want to let off the gas pedal because you don’t know when you’re going to get another game like that," rookie wing Marcus Foligno said. "It was great."

To hear from more Sabres, click the files below.

---John Vogl

Lindy Ruff

Jason Pominville

Ryan Miller

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Sabres' lineup is littered with players missing opportunities. Coach Lindy Ruff hopes tonight's game in Tampa Bay turns into a slump buster.

Ville Leino has found the net in just one of the last 22 games. Thomas Vanek has four goals in 28 games. Patrick Kaleta has gone 19 games without a goal. Cody Hodgson doesn't have a point in his 10 games with Buffalo. Derek Roy has one goal in nine games.

The line of Tyler Ennis in the middle of left wing Marcus Foligno and right wing Drew Stafford has combined for eight goals and 10 assists in the last four games. The Sabres need at least a little production from the Leino-Hodgson-Vanek and Corey Tropp-Roy-Jason Pominville trios.

"One line will get hot," Ruff said today in Tampa Bay Times Forum. "We need that secondary to pick it up for us. We’re hoping that the Roy line can kick some in, and obviously Cody’s line we hope they take advantage of some of the chances they’ve had inside of games."

Ruff has not yet lost faith in Hodgson.

"I actually thought he skated better in this last game," Ruff said. "He had a couple situations where he got in behind them. He made some good plays. He made a heck of a play to Thomas where Thomas’ slap shot in the slot was blocked. I thought he defended well, made a couple plays, good breakups defensively.

"I think in his case it’s just keep doing what he’s doing, try to create the opportunities when they’re there, try to be ready to shoot when you get the opportunity, and I told him not to put a lot of pressure on himself. I said, “I’m not looking at … we’d love to see points on the board, but you’ve got to play your position and you’ve got to take what’s out there.’"

---John Vogl

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Sabres need help during the final three weeks of the season if they want to reach their goal of making the playoffs. They got a lot Sunday.

The eighth-place Washington Capitals and ninth-place Winnipeg Jets both lost in regulation, keeping the Sabres two points behind the Caps and tied with the Jets with 76 points. All have played 72 games. The Sabres would lose the tiebreaker to both teams.

Carolina stunned the Jets with two third-period goals, including the winner by Chad LaRose with just 1:22 to play to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory.

Washington lost in Chicago, 5-2. It doesn't get any easier for the Caps, who visit Detroit tonight.

The Sabres could pull even with the Capitals with a victory in Tampa tonight and a Washington loss.

"We’ve done a better job of really concentrating on ourselves here," Sabres defenseman Robyn Regehr said. "Not in a selfish way, but just realizing what we have to do and making sure that we’re working really hard at doing that. There’s nothing you can do about the out-of-town scoreboard. The only thing we can do is making sure we take care of our situation."

---John Vogl

TAMPA, Fla. – Jochen Hecht is trying to recover from his third concussion in the past year. He’s approaching 35 years old. He’s finishing up a $14.1 million contract.

Retirement has crossed the minds of many – but not the Sabres’ center.

"No," Hecht said today. "I don’t feel like I’m done."

Hecht, out since suffering his latest concussion Jan. 21, is back skating with his teammates. He hopes the noncontact practice sessions will eventually turn into full-throttle games.

"It was back and forth for a while there, but I’ve been feeling pretty good for a while now," Hecht said in Tampa Bay Times Forum. "Just being on the ice with the guys kind of makes my day now. I’m pretty happy about that."

Hecht has missed 44 games, including the last 24, because of two concussions suffered this season. With only 10 games left, including Monday against Tampa Bay, it’s a long shot Hecht will be able to get physically fit before the season ends.

"We still have a long way to go, but I want to be out there," Hecht said. "Hopefully, we can make the playoffs and see what happens then.

"You never want to sit out as a player. You always want to battle and fight through injuries. I think I’ve seen this year that you’ve got to give it time, let it heal, and we’ll see what comes."

---John Vogl

Jochen Hecht

TAMPA, Fla. -- When 20 games remained in the season, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff outlined a plan that would get Buffalo into the playoffs. He wanted the team to go 4-1 in four straight five-game stretches, which would basically amount to winning four playoff series.

Halfway through, it hasn't worked out. The Sabres went 4-1 in the first five, but they went 2-1-2 in the second five. With 10 games left, the coach has a new mind-set.

"Win 10 of them," Ruff said today Tampa Bay Times Forum. ""That’s the overriding, trying to put 10 of them together."

The first chance comes Monday when the Sabres visit the Lightning.

"I need difference makers right now," Ruff said. "I don’t need to hear about great chances or missed opportunities. Missed opportunities will put us in a bad place."

For the full audio of Ruff's chat, click the file below.

---John Vogl

Due to Internet connectivity issues affecting the press box at the BankAtlantic Center,  we have abandoned efforts to post a live blog from tonight's Sabres-Panthers game. We will resume live blogging Monday in Tampa Bay.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Sabres 9-2-3 in their last 14 games. Their former minor-league coach has noticed.

Buffalo visits the Panthers tonight, and Florida coach Kevin Dineen figures his division-leading club is in for a "growly" game.

“For me, there’s some pride there," said Dineen, who coached the Sabres' prospects in Portland. "I see Tyler Ennis and Corey Tropp having ... the games I watched, those players have played very  well lately. Their usual go-to guys are also stepping up their game, the [Drew] Stafford, [Thomas] Vanek and [Derek] Roy are playing a stiff brand of hockey, and it probably starts in goaltending where Ryan [Miller] really looks at this as a challenge and he’s been a hard guy to beat the last two weeks here.

"Obviously, they’ve done a very good job for 59 and a half minutes and they’ve had a couple of goals scored late on them, which will make for a bit of a growly team coming in."

---John Vogl

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Sabres are expecting a boost to their defensive corps tonight against Florida. Andrej Sekera is offically back after missing five games with pneumonia.

The return of Sekera, who has three goals and 13 points in 58 games, sends Brayden McNabb to the sidelines. The rookie is up on an emergency recall, so he has to sit with Sekera's return to health.

Left wing Nathan Gerbe will miss his second straight with an upper-body muscle strain. The Sabres' lines will be: Corey Tropp-Derek Roy-Jason Pominville, Marcus Foligno-Tyler Ennis-Drew Stafford, Ville Leino-Cody Hodgson-Thomas Vanek, and Cody McCormick-Brad Boyes-Patrick Kaleta.

Ryan Miller will start in goal against the Panthers, who will welcome forward Kris Versteeg and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov back to the lineup.

To hear coach Lindy Ruff's comments from the morning skate -- including his thoughts on players' moms joining the team on this trip and the smile he got from Brian Campbell's blast of Brad Marchand -- click the audio file below.

---John Vogl

Lindy Ruff

Pneumonia is one nasty bug but Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera is over it and had his first full practice today in First Niagara Center. Sekera hopes he can play tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers and the Sabres really need him to with Tyler Myers still on the shelf from his three-game suspension.

"I was short of breath. Even just to go upstairs in my house was tiring," Sekera said. "I couldn't breath very good. as time went on, it got better and better."

Sekera said he lost some weight -- "it wasn't a two-digit number but it was getting close -- but has put most of it back on. Now it's just a case of getting his conditioning back in form. Can he really play the 20-22 minutes we've become accustomed to seeing?

"I will do my best and I will see how it goes from period to period," he said. "I don't promise anything. I just want to get out,  skate well and play a hard game to help this team win."

Coach Lindy Ruff took the ice today in a Sabres jacket with a "stop" sign on the back and a "yield" sign on the sleeves. It was a joke outfit made for him by close friend and PGA golfer Dudley Hart.

"That's my on-ice jacket, just a little bit of extra protection," said Ruff,  who suffered three broken ribs in practice last month when Jordan Leopold took him out. "Guys notice the stop sign and yield so they  don't run me over."

Nathan Gerbe (upper body) is skating on his own and will make the trip. His status is day to day.

Listen to audio from Sekera below.

Andrej Sekera

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