Sabres Edge

Lindy Ruff is getting closer to having a problem every coach would want. Drew Stafford and Maxim Afinogenov have been cleared to play tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens, but that doesn't mean Ruff is going to insert them into the lineup.

Ruff has a history of not making changes after a victory. The Sabres are coming off an 8-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. It's why he was leaning toward not touching a thing.

In practice today, though, the Sabres had some interesting line combinations. Derek Roy was between Thomas Vanek and newcomer Steve Bernier. Jochen Hecht was with Ales Kotalik and Jason Pominville with Afinogenov also wearing the same jersey. Paul Gaustad was with Daniel Paille and Stafford and Clarke MacArthur was between Andrew Peters and Patrick Kaleta.

Tim Connolly and Adam Mair sat out the workout, and Hecht left early while still nursing a pulled groin muscle. If everybody is healthy, does Lindy take out Peters and/or Kaleta on his fourth line, giving him four skilled lines but less grit? Or does he keep toughness in his lineup and go with more skill?

It could depend on the opponent. No matter, the Sabres, assuming everybody can either get healthy or stay healthy, have plenty of options going down the stretch.

--- Bucky Gleason

DULUTH, Ga. -- The Thrashers want payback for their 10-1 loss to the Sabres two weeks ago. Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff doesn't care.

"We had lost enough games in a row that I didn't care at the end of the night if the score was 15-1," said Ruff, who's team was on a 10-game winless streak. "I don't think they were feeling sorry for us walking into the game. We certainly weren't going to feel sorry for them leaving.

"I think they're reaching for straws."

Here's the Atlanta Journal-Constitution story from that game. The Thrashers' feelings hadn't changed when I talked with them today. Should be interesting.

---John Vogl

PITTSBURGH -- The Sabres had better be mentally focused for their game in Pittsburgh tonight or that day off they were planning to have Sunday could go bye-bye.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told his players he was not happy during a team meeting this morning, and it was easy to tell when he met with the media afterward.

"There’s some areas of our game I was really disappointed in," Ruff said. "There was some mental areas where I was disappointed. I really think we need to improve. I wasn’t happy, and they know I’m not happy. I haven’t been happy for days about that, and I’m going to continue to grind on it."

He said some players, particularly his young ones, lost focus during the Christmas break.

"With younger players, it takes a while for preparation," Ruff said. "When they get away from you for two, three days, it makes it tough on you."

Then he ripped the line of Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Maxim Afinogenov.

"I didn’t like the Roy line, even in the second and third period," he said. "I especially didn’t like some of the things they did in the third period. That’s part of the mental part of our game that has to improve."

"I had told them going in this was going to be a one-goal game. It’ll be a one-goal game. The guys that have scored for [New Jersey] in the last two games have been [Patrik] Elias and [Brian] Gionta, with an empty net. The first star of the game had been Elias the last two games. In a 1-0 game, you’ve got to win 1-0. I felt that even in the third period we lost focus of winning a game 1-0.

"I thought we handed them some glorious opportunities to get back in the game, that’s the part that bothered me."

In other news, Ryan Miller will again get the start in goal for the Sabres. Pittsburgh will go with Ty Conklin, the former Sabres backup who is 4-0.

---John Vogl

Lindy Ruff can be grumpy in the best of times, so it's not hard to imagine how he's feeling now. He proved it in practice today.

The Sabres were doing five-on-five drills, and they again commited a poor decision with the puck. You know, the ones they've been doing consistently, where the pass is intercepted at the blue line and the opposing team skates down ice on an odd-man rush.

Well, Ruff had had enough.

"You can't [expletive] do that," he screamed. "You turn the puck over there, we're [expletive]. We're [expletive]. We're [expletive]. I can't be any clearer than that."

No doubt, the message was clear. Whether it sank in, we'll have to see.

--John Vogl

When everyone last saw Lindy Ruff, the Sabres coach was speaking glowingly about his organization. He was announcing his new three-year contract extension, and he talked of how he never contemplated leaving because the franchise had a bright future. Buffalo, he said last month, offered the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.

When The News caught up with Ruff on Saturday night, a few things had changed. His captains were gone, and his GM had admitted the team would be less competitive.

We asked Ruff if he had the chance to do it all over again, would he re-sign with the Sabres so readily? Ruff didn't call for anyone to tear up his new deal, but he obviously had some reservations because all the talk of a bright future was gone.

"You know, hindsight is 20-20, but it's something that I'd rather not even comment on," Ruff said.

How about you? Should Ruff be upset that he signed with the Sabres -- at below market value -- just before his top two players left? Should he have seized the chance to be a free agent?

---John Vogl

Three weeks ago, Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano and managing partner Larry Quinn warned fans the club wouldn't spend up to the salary cap again next season.

The ceiling is expected to rise from $44 million to at least $48 million, and their cautionary words that appeared in The Buffalo News about the difficulties of a small-market NHL team -- even a highly successful one -- led many to believe the payroll was about to recede.

Not so, Quinn told us Thursday.

At an HSBC Arena news conference to announce GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff had signed contract extensions, Quinn said the Sabres would spend MORE than they did last season, when they were closer to the salary cap than peanut butter gets to jelly.

"The budget that we're going to spend next year is more than the budget we spent this year," Quinn said. "So all the doom and gloom and worry that we're going to cut back … I understand the worries, but it's not going to happen."

Fears still are legitimate about losing either co-captain Chris Drury or Daniel Briere or leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek to outside offers the Sabres won't be capable of matching, but it won't be because the Sabres are slashing payroll.

"The one thing that we have to do is be responsible," Quinn said. "That doesn't meaning cheapening it. That doesn't mean reducing the player budget."

---Tim Graham

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, on the eve of re-signing with the team, spoke with The News Wednesday in his first interview since losing to Ottawa early last month. Most of the chat was about Thursday's NHL Awards ceremony -- Ruff is up for his second straight coach of the year honor -- but he said this season was more challenging than previous years because of the high expectations. Staying on top is tougher than getting there.

"We kept saying the first year that maybe some teams took us for granted," Ruff said. "Nobody took us for granted. Everybody tried to play us at times different ways. So I think trying to stay there when your team has a target on it is a tough task."

---John Vogl