Sabres Edge

BULLETIN: Miller injured, won't play tonight

Rumors have been spreading in the last hour at HSBC Arena and it appears Ryan Miller will not play tonight against the New York Rangers, sources have told The News. Miller is injured. It is not a night off. In response to an inquiry, the Sabres referred to their long-standing policy of often not announcing the starting goaltender so we'll have to wait until the team takes the ice for warmup at 6:30.

There is no word on the nature or severity of the injury but it's believed to be an upper-body situation. Miller did take a slapshot from Dion Phaneuf to the collarbone area with 14:48 left in the third period of Tuesday night's 4-3 loss at Toronto. He also took a Brian Rolston slapshot directly on the mask in the first period of Saturday's 2-0 win over New Jersey.

Miller was not at today's morning skate but that's not unusual. Jhonas Enroth and Patrick Lalime were on the ice. It was an optional skate with several players not on hand. Miller's absence was thus not a topic of conversation because he has often taken gameday skates off this season.

Enroth will start tonight. Miller has made the last seven starts. Enroth's last appearance was the 6-4 win March 13 against Ottawa. Lalime told reporters yesterday in Toronto his injured knee is better and he's ready to go so he should be the backup.

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

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Devils

Greetings again from HSBC Arena for the second half of the final home back-to-back on the Sabres' schedule. It's the Sabres and the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres split one in November (Los Angeles-Tampa Bay) and have gone 1-0-1 in the other two (beat Atlanta/lost to Detroit in shootout, beat Atlanta/lost to Nashville in overtime). So a win tonight gives them their first home back-to-back sweep of the season.

There should be big roster news from the warmup (confirming the scratches) so we're starting the live blog early. Keep it here.

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

6:30 p.m.: The teams take the ice and it is, as we speculated this morning, Mark Mancari and Jordan Leopold who are out tonight with Steve Montador and Jochen Hecht back in the lineup.

7:05 BULLETIN: Darcy Regier just met with the media in the press box and informed us Jordan Leopold will be seeing a hand specialist Monday. He has a broken hand and will definitely miss the rest of the regular season. His status for potential playoff games is uncertain.

THIRD PERIOD

Of note: Every score out of town is going the Sabres' way. Carolina down, 3-2, to Tampa Bay. Montreal still down, 1-0, to Washington and Toronto down, 2-1, at Detroit. This could be a big, big night in the standings and suddenly make sixth place a realistic possibility for the Sabres.

8:46 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

17:08 left: McCormick for high sticking. Came right after Miller made three point-blank stops on the first shots of the period for either side.

15:36 left: Grier limps off (right leg). Got tackled with Mark Fayne at the right point and might have gotten a skate.

13:29 left: Faceoff. Brodeur made good stops on Hecht and Pominville, with Hecht's shot leaking through but going just wide of the post.

12:43 left: Old friend Henrik Tallinder goes for tripping.

10:40 left: No clincher on the PP like the Sabres got last night. Still have to work through these last 10 minutes.

6:00 left: Gerbe hauled down hard behind the net by Clarkson but no call. Clock keeps ticking. There's 14 minutes left in Carolina and the Lightning still lead, 3-2.

5:39 left: Grier comes back on and gets hit again. Same leg. Limps off.

2:59 left: Miller stops Tallinder from the point. Shots are 9-5 for the Devils and 29-28 for New Jersey in the game.  If he can hold on, Miller would tie his career high with five shutouts on the season.

1:30 left: Clock ticking.

38.7 left: Faceoff on offside. Brodeur out.

10.9 left: Faceoff after icing. Bad call. The Devils made the pass down the ice. It should be over.

0:00: And now it is. A 2-0 win keeps the playoff express on track. Final shots were 30-28 for Devils in Miller's fifth shutout.

SECOND PERIOD

Of note: Tampa Bay and Carolina are 2-2 after one. Washington leads Montreal, 1-0, late in the first while Toronto trails, 1-0, at Detroit.

7:57 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

14:10 left: Kovalchuk fires just wide and the puck bounces off the backboards through the crease. Kovalchuk then limped off (was typing..sorry didn't see what happened---update he blocked Vanek's shoot-in with his leg). There are loads of empty seats. Lots of folks stuck outside in the concourses because there's so few whistles. Listen to the two-minute bell, people!

13:00 left: Shots are 6-3 for New Jersey. Devils quite a bit more interested.

12:00 left: Miller with a neat save on an Elias deflection.

11:32 left: Rick Jeanneret has the T-shirt launcher -- and he just made the ice from the press box with two missiles. Dude is dangerous.

10:40 left: Tough hit on Weber by Palmieri. Weber is gimpy going off.

8:27 left: Clarkson alone in front of Miller. Goes to a couple dekes and backhands it wide. Sabres would do well to return to this one. Shots are 20-18. It was 14-3.

6:56 left: They keep showing this dude in a Cleveland Browns jersey dancing on the HD board. He keeps getting booed loudly. Didn't know there was that much Browns hatred here. Not like he's got a Jets, Patriots or Dolphins tog on.

4:25 left: Brodeur with the nifty glove save on Gerbe from the slot.

3:33 left: Ennis for tripping. First penalty of the night.

1:59 left: Elias for boarding after he smacked Pominville in the corner in the New Jersey zone.

End-2nd: Sabres survive to hold their 2-0 lead. Shots were 10-7 for the Devils and 23-19 for Buffalo through two.

FIRST PERIOD

7:07 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Boyes-Butler-Montador. Goal: Miller
Devils starters: Elias-Zubrus-Rolston-Tallinder-Fayne. Goal: Brodeur

16:00 left: Hecht is reunited with Vanek and Pominville. The other lines are Gerbe-Gaustad-Boyes (for Mancari, who has been returned to Portland), Ennis-Connolly-Stafford and Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier.

15:43 left: That little rat Gerbe sneaks around from behind the to Brodeur's left and fires a laser from the faceoff dot just under the bar. Gerbe's 14th. Sabres lead, 1-0.

13:00 left: Wonder if Ilya Kovalchuk thinks the Devils are done tonight?

10:00 left: Maybe the Devils are. Shots are 9-2 for Buffalo.

8:00 left: This baby is flying with no whistles basically. We've played 12 minutes in 15 minutes of real time.

4:38 left: We finally have a whistle. Shots are 11-3. Devils look pretty disinterested. Wow. Just lost 10 minutes, 14 seconds with no whistles! This is the first TV timeout. Crazy. Looks like Hecht is now between Stafford and Ennis.

3:43 left: Vanek pops home a Pominville rebound from the edge of the crease after Connolly wins a faceoff.  Sabres lead, 2-0. Shots are 14-3. Devils playing exactly like Kovalchuk said. They're done. Vanek's first goal since March 13.

2:00 left: Miller takes  a slapper right off the mask from Brian Rolston. He's a little stunned. Takes the mask off at the whistle.

:32 left: Miller's best save on Nick Palmieri from in tight.

End-1st: Sabres hold their 2-0 lead but Devils came on in the last three minutes. Shots were 16-9.

 

Live from Beantown: Sabres vs. Bruins

BOSTON -- Greetings from Level 9 atop the TD Garden for tonight's game against the Zdeno Charas, er, the Boston Bruins. Seems like that's all we've been talking about today and all anybody in the building is talking about. So I get upstairs to my seat here and what am I next to? A black stanchion blocking my view of the net to the left on your television screen. Plenty of room for me to move down a couple and get the view. No stanchions for me.

Be sure to scroll through all of today's posts for the latest on Zdeno Chara. We've had a very busy day on the Edge before a puck is ever dropped. But we are finally going to get to hockey as the Sabres try to pull two points ahead of idle Carolina in the battle for eighth place in the East. The Rangers are also idle. The Sabres will pull even in games with the Hurricanes while Buffalo will have two games in hand over New York when tonight's play is over.

Speaking of Chara, doesn't he have to be on his best behavior tonight? No outbursts like we saw after Game Five of last year's playoff series in HSBC Arena. I'm thinking the Sabres may want to try to agitate him even more than normal. We'll see.

The Bruins have gotten great goaltending all year from Tim Thomas and they're a classic play-from-in-front team. They have outscored their opponents, 60-40, in the first period this season. They are 25-4-4 when scoring first, 22-2-1 when leading after one period and 25-0-1 when leading after two. Wow.

Keep these numbers in mind if we go to overtime tonight. Buffalo is 12-8 when tied after regulation and Boston is just 2-8. The Sabres are 5-1 in shootouts, the Bruins are 1-5. Hmmm.

With all the Chara chatter and pregame prep, you still have to eat at some point. And when you're in Boston, one of the great choices is The Fours on Canal Street right by the Garden. I've been going since 1989 and made it there again this afternoon. Classic stuff. Tremendous Boston-themed memorabilia collection. Voted No. 1 sports bar in America a few years ago in a Sports Illustrated story and a great Boston-themed menu. I'm a veteran of The Bobby Orr, a terrific steak tips sandwich. But today, I got a little daring and took the dive into lobster mac and cheese. Major yum alert.

Now that I'm hungry again, I'll find some of the league's best press box popcorn and hunker down. Keep it here.

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

Sabres starters: Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier-Montador-Sekera. Goal: Miller
Bruins starters: Paille-Campbell-Thornton-Seidenberg-McQuaid. Goal: Thomas 

Overtime recap: SABRES WIN 4-3 as Boyes pots Gerbe's rebound with 1:44 left. It came 25 seconds after Rich Peverley had MIller beat but cranked a shot off the post. Sabres are 8-7 in OT deciders and 2-1 in them on this road trip.

Third Period

8:59 p.m: The puck is dropped.

17:42 left: The Bruins take the lead as Gregory Campbell pounds a loose puck through Miller's legs. Chara let got a big shot from the point that didn't appear to get through but it pinballed right in front of the goalie and Campbell put it home. Looked like it hit Campbell, hit another player and bounced right back to Colin's son. Bruins lead, 3-2.

16:35 left: Recchi for high sticking.

16:18 left: Marchand for tripping Sekera, who went down awfully easily. Timeout Lindy. Two-man for 1:44. The Sabres have to tie the game here.

14:55 left: And they do. Good pressure. And Connolly pokes one home on Buffalo's third shot. Game tied, 3-3. Connolly had not scored in 14 games. That's his ninth of the season. Game tied, 3-3.

13:30 left: They announced it as a Boyes goal. I'd like to see another replay on that. We'll see if that holds. The Buffalo PP is thus 2 for 7 tonight.

13:00 left: They change it back to a Connolly goal.

11:07 left: Terrible Montador giveaway but Miller stops Bergeron from the slot. Shots are 5-5 in the period.

6:00 left: Still tied at 3-3, which is a nightmare for your deadline-nearing scribe.

4:05 left: Good stop by Miller on Recchi after Boyes failed to get the puck out. Shots are 41-28 for Buffalo (8-7 for Sabres in this period.

2:35 left: Grier fails on a tap-in of a great Vanek pass after a Vanek steal at the line. Bigger point: I don't want Thomas Vanek passing the puck down low to Mike Grier EVER. Gotta shoot.

End-3rd: Remember my OT stats at the top of this blog. Go get em. Here we go at 3-3. Shots are 41-29. Sabres move a point ahead of Carolinq with their eighth of the road trip. Now going for No. 9.

Second Period

Of note: The Bruins' PR staff is one of the best in the league. Pregame notes are stellar and they produce between-periods and post-game information sheets the like of which every team should copy (hint, hint, Sabres). Here's a nugget they just passed out -- The Bruins are 37-4-4 in games in which they've lead at any point. That's points in 41 of 45 games. Pretty staggering. But there's this addendum: Two of the four losses were to Buffalo, on Dec. 15 in HSBC Arena and here on Jan. 20.

7:58 p.m: The puck is dropped.

19:37 left: Miller stops Recchi on a play set up by a terrible blind back pass by Mancari. He'll get a one-way ticket never to return with plays like that. 

17:40 left: Sekera stopped and Connolly just fails to get the rebound.

14:17 left: Thomas with more robbery, including a diving stop on a Connolly rebound. The play ends, the scrum ensues and Chara is right in the middle with Grier. In the end, McQauid and Grier go for roughing. The Sabres have a 19-18 edge in shots in this game; it was once 10-3 for Boston.

13:06 left: Chara goes for boarding and that was a terrible call. He pushed Montador down and Montador slid 10 feet and hit the boards with a thud. 

12:47 left: Thomas robs Vanek but another penalty, Seidenberg for cross checking. That was legit. So it's a 4-on-3 for the Sabres for 30 seconds, then it will be 5 on 3.

10:43 left: The two-man edge was for 1:10 and the Sabres didn't score as Stafford fanned on one shot, passed too hard to Vanek on another. Thomas made good stops on Pominville and Boyes. And now the Sabres get a too many men on the ice penalty. Not good.

8:34 left: Grier and Pominville block Chara shots but just as the penalty ends, the big guy gets in tight to feed Ryder. His first shot is stopped but Recchi bangs in the rebound. Special teams, special teams. Bruins lead, 2-0.

8:07 left: Big answer. Ennis gets in tight, holds it, holds it, hold it and flips it up and in off McQuaid from the goal line just to the right of the net. Ennis' 15th. Bruins lead, 2-1. Sabres their first goal on their 27th shot of the night. 

5:49 left: Another Boston penalty. Boychuk for holding. The Sabres have a 19-6 bulge in shots on goal in this period. Doesn't seem like the ice is tilted that much but Buffalo has been good. Except on the power play. Here's another chance.

5:00 left: What a play by Sekera to save a breakaway by Brad Marchand, who was off to the races after Butler missed the puck at the Boston line. But Sekera quickly caught up to Marchand so no chance for short-handed goal No. 13 against Buffalo. As for this power play ....

3:40 left: No shots on goal on the PP.

2:52 left: Another Boston penalty, Kaberle for tripping. Sabres should decline.

1:08 left: I take it back. Vanek half fans on an Ennis pass but gets enough of it to chip it over Thomas. Great play at the point a few second earlier by Myers to keep the puck in after his point shot got blocked. Game tied, 2-2.

48.9 left: Big bout at center ice between McQuaid and Gaustad. Lots of shots but decision to McQuaid on that one.

8.2 left: Another scrum that's really nothing until Gerbe sent a Bruin flying. Eventually, Lucic and McCormick slug it out and the place is going wild. That was a pretty ill-advised shove by Gerbe. Butler ended up with the extra penalty for roughing.

End-2nd: We're tied at 2-2. Wild period. Sabres had a 22-7 edge in shots and it's 33-22 through two. 

First Period

7:07 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

19:20 left: Big cheer as Chara takes the ice for the first time. And the crowd is chanting "Cha-ra, Cha-ra"

18:04 left: Miller with some robbery on Nathan Horton, who took a pass and walked right around Connolly. A few seconds earlier, Chara drilled Pominville in the corner. He only knows one way to play.

17:06 left: McCormick and Campbell talk, look at each other and drop 'em in the corner. Big decision to McCormick drew a few gasps from the crowd.

15:17 left: Have to like the Bruins' skating and physical play so far. Sabres haven't done much in either department other than McCormick's scrap. Shots are 4-1 for Boston.

13:29 left: A definite smoke smell wafting up into the press box where I'm sitting. Hey you people in the balcony, what's going on down there? Security! By the way, Thornton goes for interference for Boston.

13:24 left: There goes the Buffalo power play. Myers for tripping. 

12:43 left: Leopold just fails to get away, then the Bruins lose the puck again and Leopold and Pominville are in on Thomas on a 2-on-0. But Thomas stops the Leopold shot.

11:06 left: With the Sabres getting completely outplayed a goal was bound to happen. Great 3-on-2 by Boston. Krejci to Lucic to Horton for a goal-mouth tap in. Bruins lead, 1-0. Shots are 9-3.

8:15 left: Great save by Thomas on McCormick from right in front. Sabres have just four shots but two A-1 scoring chances as Lindy Ruff likes to call them.

5:05 left: Thomas stones Pominville from 5 feet after a Connolly feed. Sabres much better since the Boston goal, strangely enough. Shots are now 12-9 for the Bruins.

2:17 left: Miller with a good stop on Adam McQuaid from in front a few seconds after what was at least Connolly's third grievous giveaway of the period. Couple inquiries on the lines and I just realized I forgot 'em (sorry). The Sabres ran out Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier, Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari, Vanek-Connolly-Pominville and Stafford-Boyes-Ennis. Defense pairs are Montador-Sekera, Butler-Myers, Morrisonn-Leopold.

End-1st: With Miller making a save on Recchi in the final 30 seconds, the Boston lead stays at 1-0 through one. Shots were 15-11. Miller and Thomas were far and away the best players on the ice.

Hecht, Weber out; Mancari, Morrisonn in

BOSTON -- Another curveball to the Sabres lineup. Jochen Hecht said yesterday he was good to go tonight and Lindy Ruff seemed to think the same. Instead, the Sabres have decided to hold Hecht out for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins and have brought Mark Mancari back from Portland. Tim Connolly has been dealing with a sore arm from blocking a shot Tuesday in Pittsburgh but will play. Thomas Vanek and Mike Grier will return as scheduled.

On defense, Shaone Morrisonn's one-game scratch from the lineup is over and he's returning tonight. Mike Weber, who replaced him Tuesday, is back in the press box.

"He's had a pretty rough stretch with goals against," coach Lindy Ruff said of Morrisonn. "We're trying to  keep the guys in going the best. I thought he had a little bit of a tough spell and maybe a game off [would help]. I thought Weber was OK in the [Pittsburgh] game. I'd like to see Morrisonn in again too."

Ryan Miller will start in goal tonight against Tim Thomas, who continues to lead the NHL in goals-against (1.97) and save percentage (.939). Thomas, however, is just 8-9-3, 3.14, .897 against the Sabres in his career. This year, he's 2-0-1, 2.52, .917.

Miller is 3-0-1 against the Bruins this year but his stats (3.17, .913) are inflated by Buffalo's 7-6 win on Jan. 1. His career numbers are 19-5-7, 2.61, .914.

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

Penguins in survival mode

PITTSBURGH -- The Sabres' sudden injury situation isn't going to evoke any sympathy from the Penguins. They've been without Sidney Crosby since early January and without Evgeni Malkin since he injured his knee in the collision with Tyler Myers on Feb. 4. Brooks Orpik, Arron Asham (concussion) and Mike Comrie (hip) are all out too. Chris Kunitz (lower body) has missed 13 games and is a game-time decision tonight.

The news section of the Penguins' Web site has a full report on the team's activities this morning with notes, quotes and video. They have one of the best sections in the league for live game-day news. Definitely worth a look.

Defenseman Paul Martin logged a season-high 35 minutes, 26 seconds of ice time in the Penguins' 2-1 overtime loss Friday at New Jersey, then played another 28:36 in a 3-2 overtime victory in Boston 24 hours later. The Jersey minutes were inflated because Kris Letang was ejected early for not having his sweater tied down during a fight (the Rob Ray rule)

I asked Martin after the Pens' skate how the team has managed to stay afloat -- just two points out of the East lead -- in the face of all the injuries.

"No matter who is out there, we've maintained our desperation," Martin said. "They're all important games to us as well as the team we're playing. You can't look ahead for games and wait for the playoffs to show up. We still realize how important it is to play every night. Most other teams you play are desperate for a playoff spot. Every point matters so much. You just go with who you have."

On the one hand, you wonder how far the Pens can go in the playoffs if Crosby doesn't come back. And there's still no timetable for No. 87's return, which is getting bleaker by the day. The Penguins are just 4-4-4 in their last 12 and have played four straight overtime games going into tonight. But they're battlers. An interesting team to watch deal with adversity. Especially now.

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

Kaleta sent home as injury situation gets worse

PITTSBURGH -- The Sabres are getting mighty thin up front and Patrick Kaleta's knee problem appears to be the biggest injury issue they're facing right now, coach Lindy Ruff said this morning during his weekly appearance on WGR Radio.

The coach revealed Kaleta has gone back to Buffalo to have further examination of his knee, which was struck by a slapshot from Minnesota's Greg Zanon just at the second-period buzzer Sunday night. Ruff said after the game that X-rays on the knee were negative. He said this morning that the knee started to swell here Monday and Kaleta could be out an extended period of time. That doesn't sound good. You have to wonder if another X-ray is going to find a broken bone.

Ruff revealed today that Mike Grier's lower-body injury is a groin problem and that the veteran will skate this morning but it sounded like he's iffy for tonight. Jochen Hecht will also skate today but Ruff said he will not play.

It sounds like the Sabres will be calling up veteran Mark Parrish from Portland and Ruff said there might even be another callup because another player, whom he did not name, is sick with the flu and might not be available tonight. Would imagine that would be Paul Byron or Luke Adam.

9:19 a.m. update: The Sabres tweet they have officially called up Parrish and Adam.

Yeesh. The Sabres skate at 11:30 at Consol Energy Center so we'll have the updates later today.

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

Live from the Twin Cities: Sabres vs. Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Greetings from somewhere near Bemidji, which is seemingly the height of the press box in the XCel Energy Center as we get set for the Sabres and the Wild. But don't think I'm just blindly griping. This is one of the most spacious places I've been to. There's even hooks for your coats a few feet behind each seat. The view is sensational. It's just high-high-high. But they got big monitors right in front of us for replays. This will work fine. And great elevators. Hey, Calgary and Edmonton: Look, no catwalks!

And the people? Couldn't be any nicer. Press box attendants, elevator attendants, food service workers in the press room (kudos to the frisbee-sized chocolate chip cookies), anyone you meet here. There's even a by-name greeting to all of the Buffalo media in the game notes. Blown away.

So now that I've extended all the thanks, I got one small quibble: The Wild is making the Slug gaffe. You know. That one. Using the Sabres' old logo in their building. Now, the graphic on the scoreboard is correct. Some places haven't figured that one out yet (I'm talking to you, Islanders). But there are banners for every NHL team in the rafters here -- a great touch -- and Buffalo's is the old, ugly slug (it's in the back row in the shot at left, almost directly across from my seat in the rafters. Click the pic for a bigger view).

I know that Ted Black, and by extension Terry Pegula, are taking notes on just about everything since they took over. I certainly have my lists but here would be one of the biggest I would say to them on behalf of fans: Eradicate the slug. Everywhere. No TV networks should make the mistake (that's you, TSN). No arena scoreboard graphics, no banners, nothing.

And the big one: By opening day next season, I expect the slug to be gone off the scoreboard at HSBC Arena. It was pure laziness that it wasn't gone this year. And I'm sure there was money involved too. Those big slugs are involved in the smoke after goals, etc and lots would have to be changed so I don't think anything will be done this year. But that's not the logo anymore. The fans hate it. They got their classic swords back. Now it's time for the Sabres to go all the way with it and tell everyone in the hockey world loud and proud how they want to be represented.

My memo to the Sabres when it comes to details like that and so many others: You're in the NHL. Act like it. Too many corners cut in recent years that will hopefully be rounded off now.

End of rant. Stay tuned for notes from the warmup and our live game blog as the Sabres go for the points to finally get into the top eight in the East.

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

Warmups: Jhonas Enroth in goal for the Sabres with Patrick Lalime backing up. Ryan Miller will get a total night off like he did Feb. 15 in Montreal. Jose Theodore in goal for Minnesota and he's been hot (2-1-, 1.61 GAA, .959 save pct in his last four appearances). ... Buffalo has all seven defensemen on the ice. We'll see if Mike Weber sits again. Assume that would be the case. ... No Cal Clutterbuck for the Wild after he was felled by the ridiculous hit from behind from Islanders thug Trevor don't-call-him-Clark Gillies. That got a richly deserved 10-game suspension.

The scratches are in: Mike Weber, Mike Grier, Jochen Hecht, Ryan Miller.

The Wild's radio team is seated right next to me and they had a question about the Sabres' goaltending situation that I answered. Then the gent introduced himself. It's longtime former Minnesota North Stars defenseman Tom Reid, the Fort Erie, Ont., native who was a longtime owner of a well-known sporting goods store that catered to hockey. Awesome. You just never know who you'll meet in this gig.

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta-Butler-Myers. Goal: Enroth
Wild starters: Brunette-Cullen-Miettinen-Zidlicky-Zanon. Goal: Theodore

OT

Of note: It looks like a rib problem for Ennis on the bench.

4:14 left: Stafford wins it with a spectacular goal. Shades of Pominville '06 the way he cut in front. His 26th. Sabres win, 3-2

Third Period

7:48 p.m. The puck is dropped. As you would expect, no Kaleta on the bench. Mancari takes his spot with Gaustad and Gerbe.

17:00 left: Two good saves by Theodore on Ennis and a Niedermayer backhand.

15:13 left: Another close call as Connolly steals in the zone and fires one off the post past a beaten Theodore. The Sabres officially announce Kaleta will not return.

12:32 left: No doubt this is a better period for the Sabres so far. Shots are 7-4.

11:00 left: Another near miss for Niedermayer on the backhand and a scrum develops with McCormick getting the better of Clayton Stoner. 

6:00 left: Still tied.

5:40 left: Enroth with the save of the night on Andrew Brunette on a breakaway as he tried to deke to the backhand.

1:54 left: Long, long stretch with no whistles. We should note the Sabres would move into eighth if they get a point here. They would have 71 points in 65 games while Carolina has 71 in 66. But, of course, they want two. How about another Enroth shootout win?

40.6 left: Another injury problem as Ennis was taken down behind the Wild net and is in pain at the bench. Wrist/shoulder/rib? Hard to tell from up here. 

On to OT: We're tied at 2-2 and the Sabres officially move into eighth place in the East. Shots are 32-26 for Buffalo. The Sabres are 6-7 in game-deciding OT goals this year. The Wild are 5-1. Meanwhile, Buffalo is 5-1 in shootouts and Minnesota just 2-5 

Second Period

6:57 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Sabres have 1:18 left on the power play.

18:40 left: PP ends as Stafford and Vanek are foiled on great chances. But another terrible point giveaway, this time by Leopold, gave the Wild's Madden a chance to break out but his shot went wide. That keeps happening.

17:56: STOP THE GAME. ROB NIEDERMAYER HAS SCORED. Pounded a Sekera rebound between Theodore's legs for, finally and amazingly, his first of the year. Sabres lead, 2-0.

12:26 left: The Wild is getting chances. A loose puck just went in front to John Madden but he fired it wide.

11:55 left: Leopold for hooking. Terrible call. Barely touched the Minnesota forward -- who then crashed into Enroth. We've seen lots of goaltender interference calls on that one this season.

8:41 left: Wild also struggling on the PP, drawing lots of boos. Shots are currently 14-14 and you have to like how sharp Enroth has been, out at the top of the crease and moving well. Helps that the Wild have fired wide on a few good chances.

5:47 left: The Wild finally get close as Warren Peters has a tap-in on a 2-on-1 with Brad Staubitz, with Leopold late on the scene and Morrisonn doing little to guard the play. It was an awesome long pass from deep in the defensive zone from Brent Burns to set it all up. Sabres lead, 2-1.

3:59 left: More trouble. Myers goes for hooking.

2:27 left: Bigger trouble. The Wild converts as Marek Zidlicky one-times a low shot along the ice past Enroth after a great pass from Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Game tied, 2-2. I guess a 2-0 lead is the worst one in the NHL to have. Insane.

End-2nd: It's 2-2 and shots are 20-17 for the Wild (14-11 in that period). Just at the horn, Kaleta blocked a bullet from Greg Zanon and was down in a heap. Looked like a direct hit on the left foot. Going from bad to worse here.

First Period

6:08 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

18:37 left: Pominville puts Buffalo on top on a 2-on-1. Great pass from Montador on the backhand coming up on the play put Pominville at almost the same spot as yesterday's winner in Philly. Vanek with the steal at the Sabres line set it up. Great start. Sabres lead, 1-0.

17:50 left: Stafford barely misses a rebound from in tight that would have put the Sabres up two in a hurry.

17:07 left: Theodore stops McCormick on a 2-on-1 and the rebound just gets past Niedermayer, who would have had a tap-in for his first of the season. Wild VERY loose so far.

15:30 left: Just watched the replay of the near-miss. Niedermayer simply stopped skating and watched McCormick. If he goes hard to the net, he has an easy goal. Another terrible play by a guy who should know better.

14:03 left: Nidermayer slapper stopped by Theodore. Shots are 4-0 for Buffalo. McCormick pulled away out of the zone to start a 3-on-2. He's skating very well so far.

13:04 left: Wild's first shot is a good one from Antti Miettinen from the right circle.

11:00 left: Shots are 5-2 for Buffalo. The lines so far have been Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta, Vanek-Boyes-Pominville, Ennis-Connolly-Stafford and Niedermayer-McCormick-Mancari. Defense pairs stay the same: Butler-Myers, Sekera Montador and Leopold-Morrisonn.

10:36 left: Nice save by Enroth on Matt Cullen on a 2-on-1 after the puck hopped past Morrisonn in the neutral zone.

8:30 left: Vanek is going to score in his homecoming if this keeps up. He's had the puck on a string. Just undressed Greg Zanon to get in alone but shot wide.

6:10 left: Zidlicky for hooking a few seconds after Sekera took an awfully high hit from Brad Staubitz in the corner that wasn't whistled.

4:10 left: A zero power play. No shots. No zone time. Nothing. Bad passing, No retrievals.

42.5 left: Guess they'll try it again. Chuck Kobasew for hooking Stafford, who drove hard into the Minnesota end.

End-1st: Sabres hold their 1-0 lead as Enroth stops John Maddon on a partial break with six seconds left after Sekera's shot from the point is blocked. Poor point play is a reason for all these short-handed goals. Just can't keep happening. Shots were 6-6. Sabres had just two in the final 14 minutes.

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Wings

Greetings again from HSBC Arena as Terry Pegula goes for 3-0 and the Sabres go for 3-3 on the homestand as they meet the Detroit Red Wings.

Breaking news on the scratch front: Jordan Leopold is out for Buffalo with an upper-body injury. (He probably deserved to sit based on how terrible he was last night. Maybe he was nursing something that caused him to be so soft with the puck). Drew Miller is a scratch for Detroit. As in Ryan Miller's brother. As in the guy the Detroit papers all wrote about today playing his brother. 

The Miller parents and siblings are here too. Drew has played 54 games this year. There's no hint of an injury. Now, I understand the Red Wings are getting Mike Modano and Valtteri Filppula back from injuries and they've lost two straight at home. But that seems like an awfully harsh decision from coach Mike Babcock.

Buffalo starters: Ennis-Hecht-Stafford-Butler-Myers. Goal: Miller
Detroit starters: Holmstrom-Modano-Filppula-Lidstrom-Stuart. Goal: MacDonald. 

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

Shootout

Wings win: Datsyuk and Hudler score on backhand dekes. Stafford and Vanek stopped. Two points behind Canes. 

Overtime

9:29 p.m: The puck is dropped. Sabres are 11-6 in OT this year (6-6 in game-deciders, 5-0 shootouts)) and Red Wings are 10-6 (7-4, 3-2).

4:30 left: Great move by Stafford, great save by MacDonald.

2:30 left: Ennis stopped on the doorstep, crashed into MacDoald. Didn't really get shot off.

1:40 left: Lidstrom just wide from in front.

33.0 left: Icing on Buffalo after a nearly brutal giveaway by Myers to Datsyuk circling near the red line as the last man back. Timeout, Lindy. Shots are 2-1 for the Sabres in the OT.  They have to be thinking just get to the shootout, where they're an NHL-best 5-0.

4.2 left: Faceoff to left of Miller. Shots 3-2 for Buffalo.

On to the shootout: Final shots 37-32 for Detroit. AND GET THIS: Montreal beats Carolina, 4-3, on Andrei Kostitsyn's power-play goal with 3:53 left. Win this shootout and Buffalo is a point back.

Third Period

8:52 p.m. : The puck is dropped.

13:36 left: Apologies for the lack of updates. Wrapping up early print duties and not many whistles. Nice save by Miller on Mike Modano. Wings pushing again. Shots are 5-3 for Detroit in the period.

12:33 left: Have to wonder if Sabres can protect a one-goal lead against this club for 29 minutes. Tough task.

10:59 left: Miller stops the always dangerous Datsyuk on a one-timer from the slot. Meanwhile, the Penguins get two late second-period goals to take a 3-2 lead at Toronto through two. The Canes and Montreal are 3-3 early in the third.

8:58 left: Some great skating by Ennis created a couple near-misses in the Detroit zone. Wings have a 9-4 lead in shots and 28-26 for the game. It was, remember, 12-5 for Buffalo at one point.

5:54 left: Buffalo still in hold-on mode. Shots 10-4 for Detroit. Miller has been great on this homestand (1.83 GAA and .945 save percentage). They need him to keep the door shut.

5:18 left: Old friend Clarke MacArthur and Joffrey Lupul score 35 seconds apart early in the third in Toronto and the dont-call-us-Laffs lead Pittsburgh, 4-3. Ouch.

2:19 left: The back-to-back and three games in four nights showing through as the Sabres are hanging on. Wild one in Toronto: Pens score short-handed, Leafs score on PP to go back up, 5-4, Pens tie it at 5-5. Carolina still 3-3 at Montreal with five minutes left.

2:00 left: Miller flat-out robs Datsysuk with the left pad. 

57.9 left: That was inevitable. Had to happen. Floater from the point, rebound and banged home by Hudler. Game tied, 2-2. Shots are 15-4 in this period and 34-28 in the game. Sabres just outta gas. But seriously now, how many two-goal leads can a team blow in a season?

8.7 left: Butler with a great chance but MacDonald holds on -- with Niedermayer right there waiting for a rebound to drop.

On to OT: So we're tied at 2-2 as the Sabres came within 57 seconds of protecting a lead for 29 minutes. Shots were 16-6 in the third for Detroit (35-29 for the game)

Second Period

Of note: Sabres had 24 hits each of the last two games. Already 11 in this period -- and six by Kaleta. Buffalo also 13-6 on faceoffs. Miller hardly tested.

7:59 p.m: The puck is dropped.

15:29 left: Kaleta driving Wings crazy, getting them all yelling at him but he finally goes too far and gets a kneeing call. Discipline, discipline. 

14:50 left: Niklas Kronwell beats Miller but the puck rifles off the post.

13:47 left: Dan Clearly beats Miller high on the backhand -- and pings that one off the bar. The noise rang through the whole building.

12:43 left: Vanek high and wide on the slapper speeding down his off side after a Stafford steal/feed.

12:08 left: Brad Stuart for tripping. Sabres go on first power play. A goal for 3-0 completely changes things and puts Detroit out of it.

11:16 left: Filppula wide on a 2-on-1 after an awful pass by Myers sends Wings away. The short-handed goal bugaboo nearly crops up again.

9:48 left: No goal on the PP and now a penalty, Hecht for holding. 

9:17 left: And we got two octopi on the ice. Pavel Datsyuk beats a screened Miller with a quick snapper on his second try after Gaustad blocked the first one. Sabres lead, 2-1.  Shots are 7-5 for Detroit in this period; much better stanza for the Wings as Buffalo has found penalty trouble.

7:15 left: Hudler on a breakaway and Miller makes the stop -- but did it get thorugh his legs and go wide? Close call. Wings really controlling things now. Sabres woke up a sleeping dog.

4:08 left: Great work by Hecht, Vanek and Sekera get the Sabres some momentum back with a good 30 seconds in the Detroit zone. Badly needed. Shots are 9-7 for Detroit in the period.

3:30 left: Out of town, Carolina is in a 3-3 tie at Montreal and Toronto is leading Pittsburgh, 2-1. Yes, you have to watch the Laffs. They're at 61 points, three shy of Buffalo.

3:17 left: Morrisonn pulls one just off the goal line after it hits him and starts bounding past an out-of-position Miller. On replay: It was a sensational play by Morrisonn, as he reached on the backhand and swept the puck away.

End-2nd: Sabres hold on to their 2-1 lead. Shots were 12-7 for Detroit. 

First Period

7:07 p.m: The puck is dropped.

17:00 left: Is it blasphemy to say I absolutely love those Detroit winged wheel jerseys? Whether it's the white they have on tonight or the red. And there are a TON of Detroit jerseys in the stands. Couple folks on Twitter told me Section 304 has been taken over and the upper rows are filled with red. The building is packed, by the way.

16:10 left: As for hockey, MacDonald makes a nice glove grab on a Weber wrister from the point. Shots are 3-2 for Buffalo.

12:15 left: Shots are 5-4 for Buffalo. Stafford looks a little sore on the bench after crashing over MacDonald on a power move to the net. The lines are the same as last night but the defense pairs are interesting: Sekera goes in for Leopold with Montador while Butler stays with Myers. Weber and Morrisonn stay together. The lines are Ennis-Hecht-Stafford, Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta, Vanek-Connolly-Ennis and Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier.

11:34 left: Great shift by Connolly line with several near misses and a couple solid MacDonald saves. Best chance was an open net for Pominville but he puck hopped over his stick. Sabres with good energy again and a 10-4 edge in shots. They've had 39 apiece the last two games. Well on their way again.

7:05 left: Sabres have great chances all over the place and finally capitalize. What a rush by Andrej Sekera, taking a feed from Hecht at the Detroit line and bursting in on the right wing to beat MacDonald high on the backhand. Perfect shot. His second of the season -- first since Nov. 3 against Boston. Sabres lead, 1-0. Shots are 13-6.

5:01 left: I guess Sekera HATED being a scratch. He just roared down the left side into the Detroit side and fed Grier in front. Grier kicks the puck to his stick and stuffs it home for his second in two nights. Sabres lead, 2-0. 

4:00 left: Grier scores in consecutive games for first time since Oct. 21-24, 2009 at Florida and Tampa Bay. By the way, Grier is not a guy I'd be thinking about moving and it should be noted he has a no-movement clause anyway. As for Niedermayer ..... 

End-1st: In a fast-moving affair (an entire period in 34 minutes) with very few whistles, the Sabres leave the ice to a big hand. Shots are 15-7 for Buffalo and they hold their 2-0 lead. Full marks. They were dominant. They're 15-7-2 in their last 22 games but few periods have been that good. 

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Senators

Greetings from the Arena for Game Two of Pegulapalooza: It's the Sabres against their former archrivals, the Ottawa Senators. Who are these guys? The Ottawa lineup tonight features immortals such as Zack Smith, Bobby Butler, Erik Condra, Francis Lessard, Corey Locke and Roman Wick. Lots of guys traded and others (Daniel Alfredsson and Sabres nemesis Chris Neil, to name two) are out injured. Odd.

A Buffalo win tonight would be four against the Sens this season, a first for the Sabres since 2001-02. What's really strange is the fact the visiting team has won the last eight games in this series. The Sabres went 3 for 3 in Ottawa this year while the Sens won the only meeting here on Oct. 22 as Alfredsson's empty-net goal was his 1,000th NHL point.

The Sabres dressed all seven defensemen in warmup so no idea yet if Andrej Sekera remains a scratch. No word yet on any claim of Craig Rivet off re-entry waivers. Teams have until noon tomorrow to make that claim.

Ryan Miller has a .947 save percentage and a 1.78 GAA in his last four games. He could become the first Buffalo goalie to beat Ottawa four times in a season since Dominik Hasek did it in 2000-01. Miller, by the way, is the subject of the gameday poster in Saturday's print editions. Be sure to pick one up!

The Sabres are in their second home back-to-back of the season. The Detroit Red Wings are already in town (their equipment is downstairs ready to be loaded in the locker room when Ottawa leaves), and be sure to check out the Sabres' notebook in Saturday's paper for an update on the Wings. There's your cheap plug alert for the night.

Out of town watch: Carolina is hosting injury-riddled Pittsburgh, the Rangers are at Washington, Florida is at Atlanta and red-hot New Jersey is at Tampa Bay. The Devils are 16-1-2 and have gone from 27 points out of the playoffs to just nine. That's crazy.

Keep it here for all your updates, Pegula sightings, Pegula tweets, etc.

7:27 p.m.: Sekera is the scratch for Buffalo.

Buffalo starters: Vanek-Connolly-Pominville-Butler-Myers. Wow. There's some odd combos. Goal: Miller
Ottawa starters: Michalek-Butler-Spezza-Phillips-Lee. Goal: Anderson. 

7:32 p.m.: Great tweaks on the opening intro video with Pegula's presser and scenes from Wednesday night. And it ends with "Winning is Not a Goal. It is a Belief" on the screen. Gotta love that quote. Untouchable.

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

Third Period

9:21 p.m: The puck is dropped.

15:00 left: Not many whistles so far. Hard to blog, write story at same time. Somebody ice the puck!

12:34 left: Shots are 5-2 for Ottawa. Sabres certainly need some insurance here. Good effort on the road by the depleted Sens, basically playing with a bunch of AHL players. Sabres need to sew this one up -- and then play a lot better tomorrow with the Red Wings here.

12:25 left: They heard me. There's your insurance. Hecht bangs home a Stafford rebound from the edge of the crease on a two-on-one. Sabres lead, 3-1. Hecht's 10th.

9:37 left: Sabres a little loose. Miller robs rookie Corey Locke on a deflection on the doorstep.

3:00 left: Sabres still in control. Your friendly beat writer/blogger in control. Story done. Sorry, Ryan. You can't wait till after deadline to write!

1:55 left: Uh-oh. Michalek with a wrister high to make it 3-2.

It's over: A 4-2 win on Vanek's empty netter with 31.5 left.

Second Period

8:27 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Bad news out of town as Carolina leads Pittsburgh, 3-0, and the Rangers lead Washington, 3-0.

18:39 left: Anderson stops Pominville after a nice feed from Vanek.

18:00 left: Anderson again, on a Montador snapshot via an Ennis feed. Sabres will eventually cash in on some of this open ice.

12:52 left: Niedermayer for hooking. Shots are 5-3 for Buffalo in the period, 15-11 overall.

10:11 left: McCormick bangs it home from the slot after a pass from the point by Montador goes by Vanek but richochets off the end boards right into the slot. Vanek did a great job of puck possession on that shift. Sabres lead, 2-0.

8:03 left: Vanek a little gimpy after getting dumped along the boards by Michalek but he gets up and joins the play as the Sabres dominate delayed penalty time in the zone. Michalek gets a boarding call.

5:36 left: After a wild sequence (Myers broke up a 3-on-1, Stafford stopped by Anderson on a 4-on-1), the Senators come right back with a long pass to Jason Spezza and he smokes Miller with the backhand on a breakaway. Sabres had a power play and an odd-man to go up 3-0. Now it's a game. Sabres lead, 2-1.

4:02 left: Miller with two saves after a terrible giveaway in the slot by Hecht. The Sabres have not been good with the puck in their own zone in this one.

2:08 left: Miller with a nice grab on Michalek after Vanek and Leopold had shots from the slot fail to get to the net. Buffalo has outshot Ottawa, 17-9, in this period and 27-17 for the game.

1:34 left: Kaleta runs over Svatos at center ice. Few seconds later, he puts it in on the rebound of his own one-handed shot and crashes into Anderson. Goal waved off for now. It looked like a kick. And on top that, Kaleta is gone for goaltender interference. We've seen Miller run over a lot worse than that at times this year with no call. Happened in Ottawa as a matter of face in the last meeting. And on the replay, it wasn't a kick. Foot never moved. 

End-2nd: Sabres hold the 2-1 lead. Shots were 18-11 for Buffalo and are 28-19 through two.

First Period

7:37 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

15:51 left: Pretty scrappy play so far. No shots for the first 3:02 until Miller robbed Milan Michalek from right in front. Anderson just stopped Pominville's deflection for Buffalo's first shot. It's 2-1 for Ottawa so far.

13:35 left: Terry Pegula is in the owner's box with Rene Robert and they're celebrating Mike Grier's breakaway goal, a neat deke to the backhand. Grier outskated a diving Chris Campoli for the puck at center ice and got away to score his fourth, from McCormick. Sabres lead, 1-0. Grier had been scoreless in nine games and had one goal (Feb. 4 at Pittsburgh) in his last 42 games. Ouch.

10:54 left: Weber goes for boarding on a tough hit against Bobby Butler that drew plenty of attention from the Senators. Derek Roy has joined Pegula and Robert in the owner's box. Interesting that Robert is here two nights in a row. A big welcome back to him. He's gotta be thrilled Larry Quinn and Tom Golisano are outta here.

8:55 left: A Vanek howitzer from the right wing off the post. Anderson hesitated coming out to get the puck and Vanek fired as he was trying to back into the net. He who hesitates is usually lost, right?

7:36 left: Yep, it's a whole new world here. During a stop in play, Sabretooth came down the aisle in the 100 level with a birthday cake as the Happy Birthday music played. The recipient? Jessie Pegula, who turned 17 yesterday. She was wearing the classic blue No. 4 with Pegula on the back that the owners' kids got Tuesday. And she got a good hand when she was saluted over the PA.

7:17 left: Francis Lessard for cross-checking Kaleta in front.

5:58 left: Ennis stopped point-blank after a great feed across the goalmouth by Gerbe.

2:42 left: Leopold for interference after a long shift in which the veteran was an absolute trainwreck. He gave the puck away at least three times -- including a horrible one right in front to Marek Svatos that forced Miller to be alert. Just checked: Leopold was on the ice 1:54 on that shift. Couldn't get off the ice and a tired player took a penalty.

The Sabres' lines tonight have looked like this: Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Kaleta-Gaustad-Gerbe, Ennis-Hecht-Stafford, Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier. Defense pairs: Butler-Myers, Leopold-Montador, Morrisonn-Weber.

37.8 left: Kaleta sneaks around two Sens at center ice and gets a good chance on Anderson, who stops the slapper and a rebound.

End-1st: Shots are 10-8 for the Sabres and they hold their 1-0 lead.

Ruff on tonight: 'There's going to be a lot of emotion'

Sure, there was plenty of talk about hockey in HSBC Arena this morning. The Sabres and Atlanta Thrashers are tied with 60 points so tonight's game is a big one in the standings. Lindy Ruff is shuffling his lines (but some of the forwards weren't on the ice for the optional morning skate so we don't know the combinations). We do know Thomas Vanek is moving to right wing and Tim Connolly will be centering Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford.

But the night will certainly belong to Terry Pegula, in his first game as owner. 

"It should be a lot of fun. There's going to be a lot of emotion in the building," said coach Lindy Ruff. "The game has a lot of a playoff feel to it. They're desperate for a win, we're desperate for a win. We know we need to play well, to play a lot better. We had a great day yesterday and hopefully all that focus goes into tonight's game."

"I'm sure their whole family is going to be here," said Jason Pominville. "We wouldn't want anything better than to get a win for them and a win for us in the standings."

"It's going to be electric," added Thomas Vanek. "It's exciting for the fans, for us. I'm real excited to have a guy that really, really cares. That's always fun. That's all you can ask for."

Ruff said he will keep the same defense pairs as Sunday (meaning Andrej Sekera will again join Craig Rivet as a scratch) but will shuffle some forward lines.

Click below to hear audio from Ruff, Pominville and Vanek.

Lindy Ruff

Jason Pominville

Thomas Vanek

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

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Caps

Good early afternoon from HSBC Arena as the Sabres get their Hockey Day in America game on against the Caps. Faceoff is expected to be just about at the stroke of 12:30 so be ready. And remember, it's an NBC game, not MSG or Versus.

The Caps will be sitting out standout defenseman Mike Green for the fourth straight game. He has been dealing with some inner ear trauma. Semyon Varlamov (9-8-4, 2.32, .921) will start in goal, which means Michal Neuvirth (17-9-4, 2.53, .910) likely gets Monday's showdown in Pittsburgh. The Sabres, of course, will again go with Ryan Miller (24-17-5, 2.74, .910).

The trade deadline is looming, as John Vogl wrote in today's paper after chatting with Darcy Regier Saturday in Amherst's Northtown Center.  And be sure to check out Bucky Gleason's Inside the NHL column for more chatter on what the Sabres might do and what might happen around the league.

Want another sign it's coming next week? Check out today's press box roster. There are 23 scouts listed from 20 teams. Now, many of them are Toronto-based and come here all the time. But it is pretty unusual to see two here from Anaheim and one from Vancouver. The teams represented look like this: Montreal (2 scouts), Edmonton (2), Anaheim (2), Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, San Jose, Chicago, Florida, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, Colorado, Ottawa, St. Louis, Dallas, Carolina, Nashville, Colorado, Boston, Philadelphia. Whew.

Also starting today at 12:30 are Philadelphia at the NY Rangers and Detroit at Minnesota. The national telecast on NBC at 3:30 features still Sidney Crosby-less at Chicago. And at 6 p.m. on Versus and CBC is the Heritage Classic outdoors from Calgary pitting the Flames and Montreal Canadiens. Figures to be great fun.

Rob Niedermayer is back in the Sabres' lineup today. For what that's worth. We'll see who's out when the Sabres hit the ice for warmup. Stay tuned.

Update: Niedermayer is on the ice. But so are Byron, Kaleta and Butler. So no idea who the scratches are yet.

Update II: If you're reading from out of town and can't watch on NBC because of the regional telecasts, you CAN see the game as NBCSports.com is streaming all the action.

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

BULLETIN: Andrej Sekera is a healthy scratch for today's game. About time. He has been brutal for games on end and that terrible giveaway on the first shift Friday set the tone for the entire game. He's also had no points -- not even an assist -- in the last 19 games. Also scratched are Paul Byron and Craig Rivet. Do we really need to even mention Rivet anymore? 

Sabres starters: Niedermayer-Gaustad-Grier-Weber-Morrisonn. Goal: Miller.
Capitals starters: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble-Alzner-Carlson. Goal: Varlamov.

Third Period

2:19 p.m.; After the pathetic Internet service here basically shut down and helped lock my laptop for the whole intermission, we're back at it.

17:37 left: Perreault goes for hooking. 

15:00 left: No shots on the PP, barely any zone time.

13:06 left: Clock running, not much happening. Varlamov stops Connolly on a good rush. Shots are 3-1 for Buffalo in the period.

12:25 left: What's up at this end of the rink? A crazy bounce from the glass on the other side nearly caught Varlamov off guard.

10:45 left: Morrisonn for interference on Hendricks along the boards. I guess. But I'd like that called every time it happens, not with 11 minutes left in a tie game when we haven't seen it more than, say, once a month.

9:40 left: Perreault bangs home an Ovechkin rebound -- (looked tipped by Johansson?). It was a sensational rush by the Great Eight, who knocked the puck out of the air in his zone with his stick and did a between-the-legs, behind-the-back glove grab to set the puck at his feet and get started. Caps lead, 2-1.

8:20 left: The goal is, in fact, credited to Johansson.

3:15 left: Gerbe stopped by Varlamov. Shots 9-5 for Buffalo. Sabres need to somehow squeeze a point out of this game. Two goals in three home games to start this stand simply doesn't get the job done.

57.2 left: Miller out. Faceoff in Washington zone after Ovechkin steals from Ennis and shoots ice-length backhand wide. Not a great play.

13.7 left: Another icing after Leopold zhitniks one high and wide from the point after a good play at the opposite point by Connolly. Timeout, Lindy.

It's over: A 2-1 loss. An 0-3 homestand thus far with just two goals. Terrible. Shots were 11-5 for Buffalo in the third and 39-29 for Washington in the game.

Second Period

Of note: Sabres forwards had just three of the eight shots in the first period (one each for Vanek, Pominville and Hecht). Montador had two of the defense's five. ... The Caps' power play is oddly poor this season. It entered today 23rd in the NHL overall at 16.5 percent (22nd at home, 17.0; 18th on road, 15.8). The Sabres entered 16th on the PK (81.5 percent) -- 18th at home and 18th on the road. It was pretty good in the first period with nine shots on goal. Miller, of course, made the difference for Buffalo.

1:27 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

16:08 left: Pretty tight so far. Just looked at the ice time in the first period. Forwards don't get shots when they're not on the ice due to penalties. Stafford (4:32), Vanek (4:42), Pominville (3:38), Gerbe (2:26) and Ennis (2:58) all got their time whacked. Pominville, in fact, played 1:11 of short-handed time.

13:51 left: After all that he did in the first period, Miller is confounded by the glass in his own rink. Puck bounces right off the zamboni entrance in front of Ennis, who was expecting it to go around the boards. Instead, it bounces right in the slot to a wide oepn Mathieu Perreault, who bangs it home for his seventh. Caps lead 1-0.

12:45 left: Shots are 24-11 for the Caps. Miller has far-and-away been the best player on the ice. He needs his teammates to give him some rewards.

11:40 left: Laich goes for goaltender interference. Definitely took out Miller and the crowd had plenty of sarcastic cheers when ref Dave Jackson's hand went up. Buffalo's first power play.

8:18 left: After yet another slowdown and finally an outage of perhaps the NHL's worst press box Internet service, I can tell you the Sabres tied it at 1-1 on Pominville's slapshot on the PP at 8:52. Cross-ice pass from Vanek and a big shot that whizzed over Varlamov's left shoulder. He might have been screened by Scott Hannan skating by. Game is tied at 1-1. Shots are 25-14 for Washington.

3:36 left: Vanek stopped on backhand in alone by Varlamov after a great play by Hecht, who took out a breaking Ovechkin in the Buffalo zone and then fed the puck up ice.

2:44 left: Shots are 31-16 for Washington (15-8 in this period). That's 30 saves for Miller in 37+ minutes.

1:42 left: Miller stops Boyd Gordon in alone after Gordon lost the puck slightly trying to make a move.

End-2nd: Shots were 18-10 for the Caps and 34-18 through two. Game tied, 1-1.

First Period

12:35 p.m.: After the anthems were done and we waited two minutes for NBC to give the go-ahead (what happened to 12:30?), we can now say the puck is dropped.

14:12 left: Shots are 3-3 in the early going with Kaleta trying to get the library-quiet crowd into things with a few hits. Varlamov made a solid save on a Vanek one-timer and Miller made a good stop on Semin. 

13:38 left: Outgoing minority owners Larry Quinn were just thanked for their service on the HD board. They got underwhelming applause at best. And, of course, no sign of Tom Golisano. But he's watching on TV of course. 

12:41 left: A Pominville slapshot leaks through Varlamov's pads but Jeff Schultz sweeps it away out of the crease.

11:10 left: Miller stops Steckel from in tight after a bad Myers giveaway a few seconds earlier. The big guy isn't too far from Sekera territory the way he's been going lately. Shots are 7-4 for the Caps.

9:10 left: Another good shift from the Gaustad line, with a big steal by Niedermayer setting up pressure in the zone. It ends with Gaustad slamming his stick on the end glass as he just missed a puck whizzing through the crease off the back boards.

8:47 left: Hecht for elbowing. Ticky-tack call against Alzner along the boards in front of Buffalo bench.

7:28 left: Miller a rock so far on this power play. He stops Laich from in tight, adds a glove save on Backstrom from the slot after Ovechkin undressed Connolly at the Buffalo line and a stop on Carlson from the point. All good chances.

6:40 left: Sabres survive as Miller makes a good stop on Ovechkin just after Hecht returns. Shots are 11-6, Caps.

6:21 left: Myers for boarding after a huge shot on Boyd Gordon. Jeez. It's not a tennis match.

5:55 left: Gaustad for cross checking and Lindy Ruff just went beserk on the bench. Grabbed a stick and starting banging the boards. Another marginal call at best.

5:11 left: Miller makes his best save seemingly in weeks, robbing Backstrom with the glove just to the left of the crease after a howitzer from the point by Ovechkin.

4:19 left: Miller with more robbery on Backstrom on a rebound off the back boards. The crowd is up. No. 30 has to be the best player in situations like this and so far, he is.

3:30 left: Sabres survive and get a big hand from the crowd. Shots are 14-6.

1:54 left: Morrisonn for cross-checking near the Buffalo net. Killed a 2-on-1 break. Stephane Auger, notorious as one of the worst officials in the NHL, is not high on anyone's list so far in this one.

End-1st: Marcus Johansson just fails to tip one home at the buzzer after a terrible giveaway by Connolly in the final three seconds. Get that guy outta here. Shots are 16-8 for Washington.

Live from Montreal: Sabres vs. Habs

MONTREAL -- Bon jour from high-high-high-high atop Le Centre Bell (grades on my 1st-grade level French, anyone?) as we await tonight's Sabres-Canadiens game. TV reminder: It's a Versus game so no MSG (Rick and Harry are radio-only). And faceoff is scheduled for 7:40, which has us print types in fine moods.

It was freezing here today. As in 1 degree. As in colder than when I was in Edmonton in December. So did I simply stay holed up in the hotel room? Nope. That's why you have Underground Montreal, a 19-mile long tunnel system below office buildings and hotels and the like. Shopping and great cafes everywhere (I found an apple turnover the size of a basketball).

Most of the attention tonight of course is going to Jhonas Enroth in the Buffalo net in place of Ryan Miller. An interesting environment to put the kid in for sure.

"Playing against Montreal is something very huge," Enroth said after the team's morning skate today. "It's a big arena and I'm real excited for tonight."

Huge is the word. This place is filled with 21,273 every night. It's a massive building with a lower level that goes about 25 rows deep. And the scoreboard is absurd. So is the pregame laser light show on the ice. If you've never been here, you must come once in your life. Awesome.

One Habs note: Old friend Jaro Spacek is a scratch (back). The Sabres' scratches are Patrick Kaleta (hand), Steve Montador (concussion) and Craig Rivet (whatever). Do we even have to list Rivet anymore?

By the way, this is one of the Sabres' games in hand over the Rangers, Thrashers and Hurricanes. None of them are playing tonight.

Sabres starters: Vanek-Hecht-Pominville-Myers-Sekera. Goal: Enroth.
Habs starters: Pacioretty-Plekanac-Gionta-Wisniewski-Hamrlik. Goal: Price. 

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

Shootout recap: Sabres win 4-3 in 10 rounds. NHL-best 5-0 in shootouts. Second-longest in franchise history (lost to Colorado last year in 11). Ties NHL record for goals in a shootout set numerous times. Enroth was the first goalie in NHL history to post his first two career wins in shootouts. Now he has his first three. Montreal led, 2-0, but Vanek and Ennis kept Buffalo alive to get it into extra rounds. Pacioretty and Gerbe scored in round five to make it 3-3. Price made five saves when a Buffalo goal would have ended it before Hecht finally won it on a deke in round 10.

Overtime

45.7: Place up as Price robs Pominville with the glove. After robbing Gerbe. After Myers cranked one off the post. 

Third Period

9:27 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

18:11 left: Hecht stopped from point blank range and the puck drops behind Price. Hecht then gets a high-sticking call for clipping Wisniewski behind the net. Tough, tough break.

17:10 left: Pacioretty off the post after a bad back pass from Connolly, who went for Leopold in the zone instead of a breaking Niedermayer who was open in front. Can't see how you blame connolly with those two options actually.

13:52 left: Hecht from behind the net. Pominville a one-timer from slot. Game tied, 2-2.

9:53 left: Sabres keeping the pressure on. Shots are 30-26 for Montreal. It was 17-4 late in the first period.

7:54 left: Great save by Price on Butler, of all people, streaking down the middle and tipping a Pominville feed.

1:25 left: Weber gone for tripping Andrei Kostitsyn. Lindy Ruff not happy. Nor should he be.

OT: Great kill so far by Buffalo. Shots are 31-29 for Montreal.

Second Period

8:31 p.m. The puck is dropped.

18:20 left: Habs kill the penalty. Great save by Price on a Vanek tip from in front and on a Leopold rebound.

16:08 left: Hecht for holding. Silly penalty, using the free hand at center. Kills all the momentum the Sabres have built. Shots are 4-1 for Buffalo thus far and the edge has been big.

13:32 left: Myers-Sekera get burned like toast as Habs make it 2-0. Benoit Pouliot gets the goal, pumping in a great backhand pass from David Desharnais. Pouliot got ahead of Myers and Desharnais walked right around Sekera. No chance for Enroth. Habs lead, 2-0.

9:13 left: Habs in complete control in this one. Crowd is wild -- because of the car race going around the building on the electronic ribbon board. Jeez.

5:45 left: I haven't had much to say because not much is happening. Besides, we're late in the second period and I'm writing my story. I'm sure Ryan Miller approves.

4:02 left: Desharnais goes for interference on Vanek. Officials don't call that enough. Vanek-Byron-McCormick as a trio have done some good work.

2:12 left: The power play works as Stafford (who else?) flips one home for his 24th of the season. Vanek with a sick between-the-legs maneuver to Price's right helped make the play. Habs lead, 2-1.

End-2nd: It's 2-1 and shots are 26-22 for Montreal. It was 15-8 for Buffalo in that period. Much better one for the Sabres.

First Period

7:40 pm: The puck is dropped.

16:14 left: Myers for cross-checking. No trouble for Enroth so far. Shots are 3-0 for the Habs. He's made three saves. Habs had an early 3-on-1 break (COnnolly and Ennis caught) but Scott Gomez shot wide.

15:06 left: Pacioretty comes out from behind the net to Enroth's left and overpower the goalie on his own rebound to pump it home. Habs lead, 1-0. Shots are 6-0.

14:15 left: Price turns away Buffalo's first shot, a bullet from the right circle by Stafford.

12:48 left: The Sabres are in complete slow motion in this one. Habs dominating at all turns. Shots are 8-2. The lines have looked like this: Vanek-Hecht-Pominville, Ennis-Connolly-Stafford, Niedermayer-Gaustad-Grier and McCormick-Byron-Gerbe. Defense pairs are Sekera-Myers, Morrisonn-Weber and Butler-Leopold.

12:05 left: It's 11-2. Enroth needs to try to hold the fort until his team shows up.

11:10 left: Price stops Stafford on the doorstep after a Leopold feed. Stafford basically the only non-Enroth Sabre to show up so far. 

9:52 left: Price's best save, a glove spear of Sekera's shot from the left circle. Price vs. Buffalo in his career: 8-4-4, 2.02 GAA, .936 save percentage. Yikes.

8:13 left: Pominville for holding at center ice. Chintzy at best.

6:10 left: PP killed. Enroth stopped Plekanec twice and Kostitsyn had a good chance from the slot that didn't get through.

5:00 left: Enroth stops Ryan White after a terrible giveaway by Niedermayer. Why is he still in the lineup? No goals. What does he do?

3:22 left: Shots are 17-5 but Price nearly made a major gaffe by thinking Pominville was pumping one around the boards -- when he was actually firing it on net. Price had to stick the right pad out and you should have heard the gasps in the crowd.  Enroth  needs to keep Buffalo within a goal here so the Sabres can get to the dressing room and then wake up.

A raucous standing ovation for Erik Guay as he appears on the HD board. Never heard of him. Had to google him. New world downhill champion. Who follows skiing in a non-Olympic year?

22.5 left: Pouliot for tripping. Good play by Connolly to take the puck all the way back behind the Buffalo net and kill much of the clock so the Sabres will have more penalty time to start the second.

End-1st: Sabres survive. Habs lead, 1-0 and outshoot Buffalo, 18-7, in a period that saw the Sabres completely outclassed. Regroup time.

 

Live from the Coliseum: Sabres vs. Islanders

UNIONDALE -- Greetings from the Nassau Coliseum where the Sabres (again) meet the New York Islanders in their second-last game before the all-star break. I don't care about the standings frankly today (the Sabres, for the record, are 11th in the East and eight points out of eighth with three games in hand on Atlanta).

To me, this game is about pride, about representing the sweater in the 40th anniversary season.

I don't want to hear about the improvement of the Islanders under new coach Jack Capuano. Yes, they have some nice young talent and they're 10-6-2 in their last 18 games. But the fact remains that you can't lose three times in eight days to the 14th-place team in the East -- a team that won exactly one game in a 21-game stretch earlier this season and went winless in 14 straight. And the one win was over the equally pathetic Devils, so it almost shouldn't count.

The Sabres have to man up and beat this team today. Period. And I don't want to hear about injuries either. Anybody thinking that the absence of Tim Connolly is really addition by subtraction? Show of hands? Thought so. Let's see how Paul Byron does in his NHL debut. Can he really be any worse than Connolly and Jochen Hecht have been? The Sabres were 4-1-1 when Matt Ellis was here earlier in the year too

Not to slag on the Sabres, because they are 7-3-1 in their last 11. Hard to complain much about that. And they've got a real chance to get even closer to eighth today as Atlanta is at Tampa Bay in a 5 p.m. start. But you can't be losing to the Islanders. Players openly talked about getting all six points in these three games last week. Now the best they can do is two.

They better get those two. End of rant. 

Keep it here for all your updates, especially if you're just going to follow here while watching James Starks and the Packers meet the Bears. If you missed Tyler Dunne's neat look at the Starksmania breaking out in Niagara Falls, be sure to check it out here.

The warmup begins in the 2:30 range so I'll let you know if Cody McCormick is on the ice. He has been battling the flu. Connolly, Patrick Kaleta and Drew Stafford are all out today.  

Update: McCormick IS on the ice. Byron wears No. 24, Ellis his customary No. 37.

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

Sabres starters: Niedermayer-Gaustad-Grier-Morrisonn-Myers. Goal: Miller
Islanders starters: Comeau-Bailey-Schremp-Martinek-Hillen. Goal: DiPietro 

Scratches: No surprises -- Connolly, Kaleta, Stafford, Butler, Rivet. Evgeni Nabokov is officially listed as an Islanders scratch. They're still waiting to see if he reports.

Third Period

Of note: Clearly, something is wrong with Vanek. He's played only 7:40 in the game. Twenty minutes to go -- refer to what I wrote at the very top of this post. You have to win just one period to win a game against the Islanders. This isn't the Flyers or Penguins here, folks.

4:55 p.m. The puck is dropped.

19:04 left: Another pause. More debris on the ice. Knuckleheads. The PA announcer just warned the fans one more disruption is a penalty. "There's one fan interrupting the game. You point him out, we'll throw him out."

18:12 left: The PP converts as Gerbe scores his third in two games, popping home a neat backhand pass from Ennis. Sabres lead, 3-2.

18:00 left: Gaustad and Tavares go for roughing. Good trade. 

16:07 left: Myers stopped on the goalmouth off a Gerbe pass. But did Bailey knock it in?  Under review.  AND IT COUNTS. Myers' first since Nov. 15. Sabres lead, 4-2. DiPietro has been badly outplayed by Miller in this one. Four goals in 20 shots. Byron also gets an assist as well as Gerbe for his first NHL point.

10:54 left: Shots are 6-1 for Buffalo in this period. Excellent response after Miller kept this team afloat during a rough second.

3:23 left: Nothing was going on. Sabres were on cruise control. Then they started scrambling around. Eventually Jack Hillen's shot from the left point gets through Miller. And now they have to struggle to the finish. Sabres lead, 4-3.  Timeout, Lindy. This note from Sabres info guru Kevin Snow: Paul Byron is the 48th Sabres to get his first NHL point in his first game. Cool.

1:26 left: Niedermayer stopped on 2-on-1 with Gerbe. Pass to the hot man, scoreless one.

23.7 left: Pominville into the middle of the empty net seals a three-goal third and a 5-3 Buffalo win. 

Second Period

Of note: Evgeni Nabokov isn't reporting to the Islanders. Period. He spoke to ESPN.com this afternoon and made his position clear. Islanders owner Charles Wang doesn't understand it.

Weber led the Sabres in ice time at 7:01 in the first period. Byron with a good 5:33 and Ellis at 5:17. Lindy Ruff really shuffled the lines to get everybody time. BUT it looks like there's some issue with Vanek. Everybody in the 4-5 minute range and he was at just 3:13 with only four shifts. He IS on the bench to start the second.

3:58 p.m: The puck is dropped.

19:46 left: Myers for delay of game (puck over glass). Ooof.

18:45 left: The penalty is costly as Matt Moulson bangs home a one-timer off a great pass from behind the net from Tavares, who got what turned out to be a perfect feed from Leopold as he tried to bang the puck behind the net. Game tied, 1-1.

15:02 left: The Sabres go back out in front as Ennis does the give-and-go with Pominville and dribbles one through DiPietro on the backhand. DiPietro has hardly been sharp in this one. Gotta put more pucks to the net. Sabres lead, 2-1. Looked like defenseman Dylan Reese helped the puck in too.

14:33 left: Debris on the ice. Are there a bunch of pennies out there chucked from the crowd? 

11:20 left: A note on the Moulson goal -- the Sabres have given up a power-play tally in six of the last seven games, including all three against the Islanders. Buffalo only killing at a 70 percent clip in that stretch (14 of 20 right now).

10:01 left: Miller with the glove stop on Hiller. Shots are 20-14 for the Islanders at the halfway mark of the game.

9:57 left: After showing highlights of last week's game in New England, the scoreboard and an Ice Girl wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey are leading the fans in a chant of "J-E-T-S."

7:33 left: Miller stones Josh Bailey on a breakaway after a long pass gets through Weber and allowed the winger to go in alone.

6:33 left: Isles are starting to skate Sabres out of the building like last week. They break in on a 3-on-2 and Parenteau taps in Tavares' feed to the goalmouth in front of Grier. Game tied, 2-2. Shots are 24-14.

6:00 left: It gets worse. Hecht gets four minutes for high sticking, cutting Nielsen with a hit along the boards. Stupid play, easy call. And Luke Adam isn't here why?

4:14 left: Miller smothers Comeau's slapshot. They gave the second goal to Moulson, who tapped it in at the goal line before it crossed. So that's Moulson's second of the game.

2:36 left: Miller stops Moulson's shot from the circle a few seconds after Tavares curled the puck just wide of an open net. Close call.

1:53 left: Sabres survive the four-minute power play and now they get one of their own. Just as Hecht gets out, Bailey clips Gaustad and he's gone for four minutes.

End-2nd: Sabres had some good zone time but not a lot of good chances. Still 2:07 left on the PP to start the third. It's 2-2 through 40 minutes and shots are 27-15 for the Islanders. It was 17-5 in that period -- that's six goals in the middle frame for the Isles in the two games here against Buffalo.

First Period

3:09 p.m: The puck is dropped.

19:45 left: THAT is how you start. Morrisson takes a hit to get the puck in the zone. Niedermayer outworks a defender behind the net to get the puck in front to Grier. His shot leaks through DiPietro and Gaustad taps it home. Sabres lead, 1-0. It's Gaustad's fifth from Niedermayer and Grier.

18:25 left: Byron's first shift, centering Ellis and McCormick. He gets thrown out of the circle.

17:05 left: DiPietro stops Gaustad, who was sent in alone by Vanek.

15:00 left: Shots are 6-1 for Buffalo. You'll recall they were 9-1 for the Islanders to start the game Friday. 

13:45 left: Gaustad goes for hooking and the Ice Girls take the ice. Grrrr.

12:16 left: Miller with a couple nice saves on John Tavares and Frans Nielsen. Byron got some PK time early in that penalty with McCormick.

7:42 left: It's a bright, sunny day here but lots of folks are certainly staying home to get ready for Jets-Steelers and to watch Packers-Bears. I'm betting there's about 8,000 or so in the house. The Sabres have skated this way thus far: Niedermayer-Gaustad-Grier, Vanek-Hecht-Pominville, Ellis-Byron-McCormick. Gerbe, who had both goals Friday and played more than 20 minutes, has been spotted and so has Ennis. Odd. On defense it's been Myers-Morrisonn, Leopold-Montador and Weber-Sekera with Gragnani worked in as the No. 7 D. 

6:49 left: Miller with a nice save on Grabner's deflection from in front. Shots are 8-6 for Buffalo as the penalty helped the Islanders reclaim some momentum in the game.

59.6 left: In a game with few whistles, the Sabres have been in trouble for the last couple of minutes. Solid period by Miller, who just robbed Bruno Gervais on a one-timer. Islanders now have a 10-9 lead in shots. It was 6-1 for Buffalo.

End-1st: Sabres hold the 1-0 lead and shots were 10-10.

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Habs

Greetings from high atop HSBC Arena as we get set for the gold-medal game between Canada and Russ .... Oops. Sorry. Sure feels that way though. You should have seen all the red in this place as the Montreal Canadiens took the ice for warmups for tonight's game against the Sabres. You should see all the red spread about the 100 level. Some devoted fans traveling on a Tuesday. I know lots of season ticket-holders funded their 2011-12 accounts by getting rid of tonight's tickets too. There are plenty of tickets in the 300 corners so this should be a pretty split crowd.

I hate reading the Habs' game notes. They're bilingual as expected but they mix French and English together and it's a real pain. How about putting all the French on a few pages and all the English on other pages? Anyway, the AP's John Wawrow, proud Canadian that he is, waded through the notes and found the English version of this nugget: Tonight is Montreal's 3,000th road game all time.  Its record is 1251-1255-493. 

So now that we have our bizarre stat of the night, can we please get started? Oh, that's right. It's a Versus night (don't turn on MSG). And the puck won't drop until 7:40. They sure don't care about newspaper deadlines, do they?

Stay tuned.

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

Sabres starters: Vanek-Hecht-Pominville-Leopold-Montador. Goal: Miller
(scratches remain Rivet and Butler).
Habs starters: Eller-Plekanec-Cammalleri-Gill-Subban. Goal: Price

THE VERDICT: Sabres win it 2-1 as Pominville scores at 1:09 on a beautiful Vanek feed. Lindy Ruff says Stafford has a groin injury. Status unknown.

Third Period

9:30 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

17:40 left: Yannick Weber goes for slashing for Montreal.

15:40 left: One shot on that power play. Not nearly up to snuff.

12:55 left: Price with a nice save on Gerbe in the circle. Shots are 4-2 for Buffalo.

10:20 left: Price robs Gaustad on feed for Kaleta and then robs Niedermayer, of all people, on the rebound. Almost the power of the properly spelled name. Check that -- Gill blocked the Niedermayer shot.

7:00 left: A note of apology from AP's Wawrow for the earlier joke at Pacioretty's expense. That goes for me as well. No one in the building anticipated that being as serious as it turned out to be. Just looked like an accidental plunking he'd be over in a few seconds. The game is still tied. Shots are 5-3 for Buffalo.

5:23 left: Hecht stopped again on the doorstep. 

5:00 left: Miller ROBS Plekanec  all alone in front.

3:27 left: Miller makes another save and Gionta drills him in the head as the Sabres converge. Gerbe of all people ends up jumping Scott Gomez and that has the crowd roaring. Excellent response by the Sabres there. Sabres could have used Gerbe three years ago when Gomez killed Buffalo's season by taking out miller.

3;12 left: Hecht stopped again. Credit him for all these chances or damn him for not converting? You make the call.

1:19 left: Great work by Myers and Morrisonn in the corner to dominate the Montreal forwards. 

42.4 left: Gomez for a vicious and stupid high-stick on Gerbe. Sabres avoid further stuff to keep the power play.

On to OT: It's 1-1. Shots were 11-11 and it's 36-30 for Buffalo. Still 1:18 left on the PP.

Second Period

Of note: We'll have to take attendance here. Cammalleri, Pacioretty and Halpern (didn't see what happened to him) all played less than two minutes in the first period and let's see if Subban comes back. Apparently, French network RDS said Pacioretty was actually struck in the upper arm by the Wisniewski shot.

Subban is back and skating his injury off in front of the Habs goal. No sign of the three forwards. A LOT of room on that bench. Update: The Montreal radio network has reported Cammalleri is out for the game. No status report on Pacioretty or Halpern.

17:57 left: Sabres bulletin -- Stafford will not return wtih a lower body injury. Versus is reporting Pacioretty left the building on a stretch and is heading to the hospital. Jeez.

15:30 left: Shots are 2-0 for Buffalo in the period. Halpern emerges and comes out to the Montreal bench.

14:00 left: I'm told TSN had a shot of Pacioretty being wheeled out on the stretcher hooked up to an IV.

13:26 left: Miller stops Lars Eller on a partial break after a bad giveaway at the Habs line by Hecht.

12:52 left: Gionta rips a slapper off the post from the left circle on a 2-on-1. Had Miller toasted. 

12:04 left: Sabres doing little to take advantage of the Habs' lack of depth. Shots are 5-2 for Montreal in the period.

10:59 left: Former Sabres farmhand Mathieu Darche for interference.

10:00 left: Halfway home. Stafford, remember, missed Friday's practice with undisclosed ailments but did play Saturday on Long Island. Only lasted two shifts tonight.

9:32 left: Big chance for Buffalo. Two-men advantage for 34 seconds as Gill goes for slashing down Montador.

9:19 left: Connolly slapshot to Price's midsection. No screen. Too easy.

8:39 left: The Sabres finally tie it. Connolly's slapper is blocked and Vanek and Ennis chop away at it before Ennis finally bloops it in over Price. Game tied, 1-1. That's Ennis' 11th. Buffalo PP has scored in seven of the last eight games.

7:37 left: TSN is reporting Cammalleri has a separated shoulder. That would be a huge loss for the Habs. Multi weeks for sure.

6:42 left: Hecht killing the Sabres. Fans on an open backhand in front of Price and then passes behind Pominville on a 2-on-1 a few seconds later. This is the No. 1 center. Great.

3:25 left: Woefully shorthanded Habs won every battle on the last shift against Myers-Morrisonn. Forgot to mention there's been a switch in defense pairs (too many medical updates). Sekera is with Weber tonight. Sabres have to be tougher than that.

End-2nd: It's 1-1 through two. Shots are 25-19 for Buffalo (16-12 for the Sabres). Buffalo has to win the final 20 minutes. Just has to.

First Period

7:40 p.m.: They can't get the lights turned on after the anthems. Hey, I'M ON A TIGHT DEADLINE. Great.

7:41 p.m.: They get the lights on and the puck is dropped. Thanks for nothing, Versus.

16:19 left: Weber goes for cross-checking on a push of Cammalleri into the boards. The Habs forward slides in and clearly injures his wrist. Cammalleri barked at Weber on his way off the ice. The hit came a couple seconds after Miller robbed him.

15:45 left: Pacioretty down after taking a point shot from Wisniewski in the midsection and thus taking his voice range up an octave. Wawrow with this pearl: "Is that lower body?"

14:41 left: Habs convert on the PP as Roman Hamrlik's shot from the point is tipped home by David Desharnais, who was alone to Miller's left as Morrisonn lost him. Habs lead, 1-0.

13:32 left: Kaleta running around causing trouble but he goes for boarding against Jeff Halpern. Wisniewski, who was flattened by Kaleta a few seconds earlier, just threw a punch and didn't get away with it.  He goes for crosschecking (should have been roughing). Stupid. Ruined his team's power play. Halpern nearly made it 2-0 a few seconds ago as Weber's pass hit the referee's skate and bounced to him right in front.

13:00 left: It's 4-on-4 and Price stops Vanek breaking in on the right wing with old friend Jaro Spacek in hot pursuit. Folks, you have no idea how much we miss Spacho interviews in the Buffalo locker room. And we all do pretty good impressions of him too.

12:12 left: Price robs Hecht on the doorstep after a great backhand pass by Pominville sent him in alone.

10:46 left: Gerbe goes for goaltender interference. Kaleta could have got one too for a late punch that was overlooked. Lucky.

8:24 left: Sabres kill that dubious penalty on Gerbe, who appeared to be scrambling for the puck in the crease but also shoved Price with a free hand. Shots are 6-4 for Buffalo.

5:40 left: The lines are what we expected with Vanek-Hecht-Pominville, Ennis-Connolly-Stafford and Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta. Kaleta's return pushes McCormick down to the fourth line with Niedermayer and Grier and basically kills ice time. I don't like that.

4:36 left: Tough night for Habs forwards. Brian Gionta just got drilled from close range on a Hal Gill shoot-in. He makes it to the bench and seems OK.

2:40 left: Price stops Hecht from in front again after Vanek steals Spacek's pass behind the net.

O:32 left: Subban limps off after taking a shot from Leopold in the leg and collapses in the tunnel. Looked like left foot. How many Habs will be left by the end of the game?

End-1st: Habs lead 1-0 and Sabres have a 9-7 edge in shots. Seriously now, they HAVE to win a game against a team that might be that short-handed for two periods playing two games in two nights. And this extra: Kaleta got a penalty at the horn for firing the puck late at Price. Stupid. Must be an unsportsmanlike conduct call. But how about the punch Gill threw at him in the scrum that ensued? Terrible.

Kaleta back, Adam goes down

Patrick Kaleta will be back in the lineup for the Sabres tonight against Montreal after missing seven games with the broken hand he suffered Dec. 28 in Edmonton. The Sabres have sent Luke Adam back to Portland, leaving their roster at 22 players and no spare forwards in house. It appears they'll continue to scratch Chris Butler and Craig Rivet. 

Adam has three goals, one assist and a minus-4 rating in 18 games over four stints in Buffalo.

"I thought Luke gave us a lot of good periods," Lindy Ruff said after today's morning skate. "He needs to go play, to go play 20 minutes a game. He needs to be involved in special teams in a big way which he has been down in Portland. We think a lot of him. It's just not good for him to be here when we're healthy and only play 8-9 minutes. He needs to work on a little bit of play in his own end and he understands that but he's given us some good play."

Adam's return to Portland means he'll be eligible to claim the spot he was voted on for the AHL All-Star Game Jane. 31 in Hershey, Pa.

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

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Canes

We're in our usual perch here in HSBC Arena, high above Section 319, for tonight's game between the Sabres and the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight and seven points ahead of Buffalo for ninth in the East. The Canes haven't lost in regulation since Dec. 26 and are three points behind Atlanta for eighth in the East.

Carolina has 48 points and the Sabres have 41. A regulation loss by Buffalo tonight would push the Sabres nine points out of ninth in the East. Not eighth. Ninth. And that would mean the future Pegulas would be closer and closer to the time when they should start selling.

We learned this morning that Thomas Vanek would be in the lineup tonight. We're learning during warmups who will not be. Chris Butler is one scratch but there are 19 skaters on the ice. So we'll have to wait for the announcement of who sits, whether it's Luke Adam or Craig Rivet or somebody else. How about Rob no-goals-in-33-games Niedermayer getting a night off?

Stay tuned for more.

6:55 p.m. update: Rivet is a scratch. So are Butler and Kaleta. Sabres obviously don't care that their 11th place team has no useful captain since they keep scratching him but won't take away the C like they should. Who knew what Ted Sator did to Lindy 22 years ago would handcuff the team so much now?

7 p.m. update on starters:

Buffalo: Gerbe-Gaustad-McCormick-Sekera-Myers. Goal: MIller
Carolina: Cole-Staal-Jokinen-McBain-Pitkanen. Goal: Ward 

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

Third Period

853 p.m: The puck is dropped.

17:11 left: Pitkanen goes for cross-checking McCormick in front. McCormick responded with a slash that could have been called too but wasn't. He needs to skate away when his team is in line for a power play.

16:34 left: Great puck work on the PP all the way up the ice. Even that drop pass at center ice I normally hate. Vanek eventually passes from the right wing to Stafford in the slot and he buries it past Ward for his 15th. Sabres lead, 3-1.

14:00 left: Connolly overhandles on a 2-on-1 with Vanek, doesn't shoot and loses the puck. Crowd boos. 

12:10 left: Nice stop by Miller on Ruutu keeps Buffalo's two-goal lead intact.

9:50 left: Vanek on break goes in too deep to Ward's left, curls around net beating Ward to the right post but just fires the puck back through the crease and is unable to curl it inside the post. Classic look on his face. Pained smile as he looks to the rafters. Great rush. Barely missed the spectacular finish.

6:49 left: Sabres in control. Shots are 5-4 in the third and 31-25 overall. Just have to simply take this one across the finish line. An oddly uninspiring outing so far by the Canes, who came in on a 6-0-2 streak. They showed very little except for about three or four minutes after their goal. And that one, remember, was a power-play tally after the very dubious call on Myers.

3:12 left: Sabres are currently 4-12-3 against top 8 in East. With win tonight, they would be 15-7-2 against everybody else in the NHL. Odd. Shows their mediocrity. Better against bottom-run teams (and suprisingly good against the West). Simply can't match up to the Phillys, Tampas, Pittsburghs and Montreals of the world. At least not over the first 43 games.

1:57 left: Ward out. Faceoff in Buffalo end.

31.3 left: Canes with HUGE pressure and Skinner finally puts it in. Miller AND Montador had no sticks. Sabres lead, 3-2.

10.2 left: Terrible play by Sekera. Ice-length icing. Just get it out and you'd kill the clock. Now faceoff back to Miller's left.

It's over: Sabres hang on for a 3-2 win. Final shots were 35-29 for Buffalo.

 

Second Period

8:01 p.m.: The puck is dropped.

15:06 left: Myers gone for goaltender interference. Horrible call. He went flying over Ward. Was pushed right into him. You could see the two-hand push on the HD board by Jay Harrison, who was beaten. And Lindy goes nuts.

14:51 left: Just 15 seconds later, the Canes tie it up at 1-1 as Tuomo Ruutu tips one home on a great pass from Eric Staal. Ruff is all over ref Marc Joannette. That whole sequence was a joke.

11:21 left: Ennis goes for tripping. In the offensive zone.

9:12 left: Sabres kill that penalty. Shots are 9-8 in the period for the Canes.

8:11 left: McCormick flips a Leopold rebound over Ward's shoulder. His sixth of the year, extending his career-high. And his 13th point set a new career mark. He does it all. Assist away from the Gordie Howe hat trick again. Sabres lead, 2-1.

5:30 left: The Canes have a 3-on-1 and shoot high. The Sabres come right back with a 4-on-2 and shoot wide. Gotta put the puck on the net, people.

5:01 left: Bodie goes for an unintentional high stick of Connolly in the faceoff circle. Awfully close to that nine-way nose. McCormick, by the way, now has the same number of goals as Connolly at a cost that 's $4 million less (Connolly is making $4.5 million and 

3:44 left: Miller comes way out to get the puck and gets his legs taken out by Patrick Dwyer, who was going for the puck too and went into a slide to avoid a collision. Still, he took Miller out at the legs. Not good.

2:40 left: Sabres have really taken charge after the second goal. Shots are 18-9 for Buffalo.

21.4 left: Miller stops Boychuk from in tight to preserve the lead. Sabres have had at least the last 10 shots on goal. It's been a while for the Canes but that was a good chance.

End-2nd: Sabres lead, 2-1. Shots were 18-11 in the period for Buffalo and 26-21 for the game. Just checked the play-by-play. It was 10 straight shots for the Sabres and none over nine minutes for the Canes.

First Period

7:08 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Very classy move by the Sabres to have a pregame moment of silence for Dawn Hamilton, who passed away last night after a four-year battle with cancer. She was the wife of WGR Radio beat reporter Paul Hamilton, one of the true professionals on this level of the arena. Rick Jeanneret just passed on condolences on air as well.

15:42 left: Yawn. Hurricanes have a 2-1 edge in shots. Nothing really going on. Out of town, reeling Ottawa is giving Swedish rookie Robin Lehner his first NHL start in goal against the New York Islanders. Lehner, you may recall, is the 19-year-old who beat Team Canada in a shootout in the World Juniors here on New Year's Eve.

13:39 left: Shots are 3-1 for the Canes. Yep, not taking the morning skate this morning really has the Sabres full of life.

11:00 left: No surprises on the Sabres' lines. Gerbe-Gaustad-McCormick got the start. It's also Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Ennis-Hecht-Stafford and Niedermayer-Adam-Grier.

10:13 left: Good scrap between McCormick and Troy Bodie came at the end of a shift where the Gaustad line was again doing solid work down low. The other lines have been invisible.

8:53 left: Ward stops Pominville on a slapper from the right circle. Shots are 7-5 for the Canes.

8:15 left: Montador crushes big-name rookie Jeff Skinner at the Canes line to give the Sabres a good chance but Ennis and Stafford combine to overpass and there's no shot. SHOOT!

7:33 left: Gaustad goes for tripping.

6:10 left: Zach Boychuk denied on a golden chance from the slot.

5:22 left: Tough PP for Boychuk. He's drilled with a teammate's shot and struggles to limp to the bench. The Sabres go down and take a 1-0 lead as Gerbe puts one home from the slot on a great feed from behind the net from Vanek. Gerbe's second of the year. Richly deserved the way he's played the last two games. Big for the Sabres to get too: Carolina is 14-1-3 when scoring first.

4:14 left: Classic moment on the HD board: The 1976 game against the Soviet Wings that resulted in a resouding 12-6 rout at the Aud. Awesome. (go away kisscam and bloopers).

End-1st: Sabres hold their 1-0 lead. Canes have a 10-8 edge in shots.

Vanek good to go

Thomas Vanek shot a few pucks on his own and did a few sprints in one end of HSBC Arena this morning. Frankly, he didn't look all that comfortable testing his injured right hand. Nonetheless, Vanek said he will be in the lineup tonight when the Sabres face the Carolina Hurricanes.

"I expected to be a little uncomfortable but it actually went better than I thought it would," Vanek said. "It felt good. I still think I can contribute and score out there so that's why I'm in."

The Sabres are getting into dire straits in the standings (they're seven points behind ninth-place Carolina heading into tonight's game), but Vanek said he's not pushing the envelope because of the conference race.

"It's always based on if you can help the team," he said. "Even now, we're in a tough situation but if I would have felt like I can't shoot and can't help the team, there's no purpose in playing."

"It's not uncommon for a player to try to battle through [injury]," added coach Lindy Ruff. "He's not 100 percent but a lot of players are not 100 percent when they play. Thomas thinks it's important that he plays and I do too."

Vanek played 24 minutes Tuesday against Philadelphia and the injury flared up after the game and kept him off the ice Wednesday. The line of Vanek, Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville did very little offensively against the Flyers and that has to change quickly.

"We were put together for a reason," Vanek said. "That's not just to score goals but to create momentum and offense and we didn't do much of that. On the power play we didn't do the job and it carried over on our five-on-five play."

In other news, Ruff said Luke Adam would return to the lineup tonight after missing Tuesday's game with the flu. Ruff said he had not decided to go with six or seven defensemen but it seemed unlikely he would scratch Nathan Gerbe, who might be coming off his best game of the season Tuesday.

Ruff kept his players off the ice this morning so they would stay a little fresher for the game, much like he did on the Western road trip. The only ones who skated were the injured Patrick Kaleta, backup goaltender Patrick Lalime and defensemen Craig Rivet and Chris Butler. Hmmm. Wonder if Ruff is going back to six blueliners and scratching the captain again.

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

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Flyers

Greetings from HSBC Arena as the world is back to normal now that the Worlds have left Buffalo. The Sabres' anniversary logo is back at center ice, the normal board ads adorn the rink, the semicircle goal crease is gone, the competing nations' flags are down from the rafters, the obnoxious Canadian fans are back across the Peace Bridge and -- perhaps most important -- the Russians are back in Moscow. Whew. 

It's the Sabres and Eastern Conference-leading Flyers tonight and faceoff is in the 7:40 range thanks to Versus, which obviously doesn't give a hoot about deadlines of your friendly blogger/ink-stained wretch. 

First bit of news (no, not about Terry Pegula): Nathan Gerbe is in the lineup tonight. Looks like the scratches are Luke Adam, Chris Butler and the injured Patrick Kaleta as the Sabres continue to go with seven defensemen. Frankly, I wouldn't play one-goal-in-24-games Gerbe over Adam but they know best, right? Yeesh.

Rick Jeanneret is back tonight with Harry Neale but they will be radio only as Versus tells stories and ignores the play calls the game. Keep it here for the latest.

Sabres starters: Ennis-Hecht-Stafford-Myers-Sekera. Goal: Miller.
Flyers starters: Hartnell-Briere-Leino-Coburn-Timonen. Goal: Bobrovsky

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

Third Period

9:26 p.m.: Game on.

18:40 left: Sabres do nothing on the power play and the time expires.

17:43 left: The Flyers go ahead as Ville Leino pots Briere's rebound after Myers loses the puck at center ice. Might be a kick with the left skate. Under review. Goal stands. Looked like Leino moved his right skate and the puck hit the left. Flyers lead, 3-2. Third point for Briere.

16:37 left: Flyers buzzing. Have a 5-1 edge in shots. Wonder if Ruff is pondering his timeout right now.

9:30 left: Print editions calling but we seem to have that under control now. It's still 3-2. Shots are 11-6 Philly in this period.

8:39 left: Good rush by Ennis but Bobrovsky with the save on Buffalo's 36th shot. Flyers have 27.

8:24 left: Good night. Terrible giveaway at the Flyers' line by Sekera and Mike Richards goes all the way in alone. Burns Miller on the backhand. Flyers lead, 4-2.

Flyers win 5-2 -- empty netter by Hartnell with 1:55 left.

Second Period

8:31 p.m. The puck is dropped.

15:21 left: Good start for the Sabres as they have the only three shots. Sekera did a good job lugging the puck on one rush coast to coast but Connolly blew that opportunity. 

14:32 left: Leopold for hooking and it's a good thing. Van Riemsdyk had a wide-open net on a rebound but Leopold hooked him down.

13:13 left: Miller's best save, a sprawling dive on a Jeff Carter rebound. That had to hurt the groin a little, just for the record.

12:30 left: Miller helps Buffalo survive that one. Flyers' power play has been dominant in its two chances so far.

9:50 left: Shots are 20-13 for Buffalo and here comes the Kisscam. Told ya. Boo. Out of town, the Bruins are crushing the Senators, 5-0, in Boston. When is the end coming in Ottawa for GM Bryan Murray and coach Cory Clouston? It has to be near.

8:46 left: How many shots is McCormick getting in this game? He just cut in front from the left boards and forced Bobrovsky to make another save. That's eight shots on goal for No. 8. 

8:10 left: The Gaustad line is driving the Flyers crazy. And after-the-whistle stuff has the Sabres on the power play as Andrej Meszaros takes a silly roughing penalty going after Gaustad.

6:01 left: Decent possession in the zone, not too many chances as the penalty expires. Shots are 10-3 for the Sabres in this period.

5:37 left: Good slugfest after the whistle between Gaustad and Hartnell, who clearly went looking for him. They'll get five apiece.

3:56 left: Some 4-on-4 hockey as Timonen goes for grabbing Ennis in front of the net but Ennis got unsportsmanlike conduct for diving. Hmmm.

2:10 left: Miller robs Matt Carle in the slot after Carter manhandles Weber behind the net to get the puck out front.

1:49 left: The famous Briere windmill after the ex-Sabres captain gets his 22nd to tie the game at 2-2. A bad break as McCormick's back pass at center ice went by Montador and sent the Flyers away as Timonen jumped the puck coming out of the penalty box and Briere took his rebound. Shots are 14-6 in the period for Buffalo and 28-16 in the game but it's game tied 2-2.

46.4 left: Coburn for holding.

End-2nd: It's 2-2. Shots were 15-6 for Buffalo and are 29-16 through two periods.

First Period

7:40 p.m: The puck is dropped (thanks for nothing, Versus). Both teams in their retros. Flyers have the white with orange that brings back 70s nightmares and has me looking for the ghosts of Orest Kindrachuk, Don Saleski, Bob Kelly and Dave Schultz. This is, by the way, the 35th anniversary of their win over the Red Army -- the game the Russians temporarily walked off the ice to protest the Bullies' rough play.

15:00 left: The Sabres take the lead on a rebound goal by Gaustad. Myers let go a drive from the point, McCormick was stopped on the backhand on a rebound and Gaustad finally pounded it home. Sabres lead, 1-0. A minute earlier, Bobrovsky had robbed Ennis on a 3-on-1 break.

13:30 left: Sabres skating well in this one. Shots are 8-3 in their favor. Miller made a good save early on Mike Richards from in tight and the Flyers have done nothing else.

12:30 left: Forget what I said about Gerbe. He's been a terror down low so far. Gerbe-Gaustad-McCormick all over the Flyers again with three more shots. 

10:01 left: Gerbe has been a monster so far in wildly fast-moving period. Outworked the Flyers for the puck again and fired one wide from the slot but McCormick takes it off the backboards and banks it in off the back of Bobrovsky's right leg. Sabres lead, 2-0. Shots are 12-3.

7:34 left: Weber for interference as the Flyers are starting to get their legs and give the Sabres trouble in their own end since the second goal. The lines have been Ennis-Hecht-Stafford, Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Gerbe-Gaustad-McCormick.  Niedermayer and Grier floating with a double-shifting forward. Defense pairs are Myers-Sekera, Leopold-Montador, Morrisonn-Weber.

7:19 left: That didn't take long. Richards absolutely wipes out Hecht in the corner and Timonen's shot from the point is tipped home by Hartnell. Sabres lead, 2-1.

6:32 left: Finally a TV timeout. We've played 13 1/2 minutes in 21 minutes of real time. Lightning quick. There are no Terry Pegula sightings. He's not in the owner's box folks, so stop asking. He doesn't own the team. Yet. There are some folks in there but they could be contest winners or whoever. No one of note involved with running this operation.

2:31 left: A classic moment on the HD board? Very nice to see Mogilny's 76th vs. the Flyers in 1993. We've only waited a half season to get stuff like that in the 40th anniversary year instead of those ridiculous blooper reels. Applause from this end. About time. But I know the kisscam is looming.

1:27 left: Bobrovsky gets a piece of McCormick's laser from the slot, Buffalo's first shot in nearly nine minutes (the Flyers had six straight). Leopold then stopped from the point.

End-1st: Sabres lead, 2-1. Shots are 14-10.

 

Flyers a tough test for Star-less Sabres

The Sabres will not have a representative in the NHL All-Star Game Jan. 30 at Carolina as the rosters were completed today and no Buffalo player was named. Tyler Ennis will be the Buffalo representative, taking part in the skills competition on Jan. 29. The complete list can be found here. Teams will be formed Jan. 28 as part of the league's new fantasy draft. The Sabres, Islanders, Panthers and Coyotes were shut out of the selections.

As for tonight's game against Philadelphia, coach Lindy Ruff said defenseman Mike Weber will be back in the lineup after missing one game with a bruised finger. Ruff would not say for sure, but it's expected that the Sabres will scratch Chris Butler and a forward (either Nathan Gerbe or Luke Adam) and again go with seven defensemen.

"We've got a chance to play against the best team in the East and we're very much looking forward to this," Weber said. "They're a fast team. You can eliminate some of that speed with physical play down low but you can't run out of position and give them opportunities where they can jump by us."

The Flyers have seven forwards with at least 10 goals, led by the 21 of ex-Sabre Daniel Briere, who was snubbed in today's all-star picks. The Sabres have just two 10-goal fowards (Thomas Vanek has 16 and Drew Stafford has 14).

"They might have the best corps of offensive players," Ruff said. "They've been able to win tight games, been able to win shootouts. Their defense has played well too. Even with [Chris] Pronger out, other guys have stepped in and played well for them."

Asked if Philly's corps of centers are the best in the league, Ruff said, "I think it's pretty close. You might argue Detroit has a couple that are pretty good too. Overall on the offensive side, it's a very creative group."

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

Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Bruins

The World Juniors logo remains at center ice but the Sabres are reclaiming HSBC Arena for one night for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins. It's also a special night as Alexander Mogilny and late, great Buffalo News hockey columnist and Hall of Famer Jim Kelley get inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame.

We all wish Kell was still here and were really hoping he'd make it to this date once he learned of his poor cancer prognosis. That didn't happen but we salute him in this space again. We have provided blanket coverage of the World Juniors with Jim in mind because that tournament would have found him in his glory. Some sensational hockey so far.

As for the hockey tonight, the first bit of news is that is appears neither Shoane Morrisonn or Craig Rivet are getting scratched. Both are on the ice for warmups, so Buffalo is dressing seven defensemen with one of them likely to take turns up front. Nathan Gerbe is not on the ice so we'll wait for the official lineup sheet.

Update: That's the fact. Gerbe/Kaleta/Butler are the scratches. Morrisonn and Rivet stay in. 

Sabres starters: Vanek-Connolly-Pominville-Myers-Sekera. Goal: Miller
Bruins starters: Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi-Ference-Chara. Goal: Rask

Because of the Hall of Fame ceremonies, tonight's faceoff will be in the 7:20 range. Stay tuned.

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

First Period

7:29 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Somewhere in that great rink in the sky, the late, great Jim Kelley is alternating squirming -- and laughing at those of us in his chairs on deadline -- that he was partly responsible for a 25-minute delay of an opening faceoff.

19:33 left: Miller with a great pad save on a rocket from the right circle by Johnny Boychuk.

18:31 left: The Bruins jump to a 1-0 lead as Savard beats Gaustad clean on a faceoff and Andrew Ference beats Miller clean from the point.

17:54 left: Great shift by the Connolly line, poor play behind the net by Rask and Pominville backhands it home to tie the game at 1-1. Pominville got cross-checked after the play by Savard and Weber came in to wipe out Savard. Good to see.

17:11 left: The Bruins take a 2-1 lead as Rob Niedermayer scores his first of the year. Oops, wrong net. Dennis Seidenberg's shot hits him in the body and goes past a stunned Miller. Two goals on four shots for Boston. No goals for Buffalo in 28+ games for Niedermayer.

14:24 left: What's up with this? Hecht loses a faceoff clean and Boychuk's shot gets past Miller on a deflection by Brad Marchand. Three goals on eight shots. Bruins lead, 3-1. Memo to the Sabres: We can only imagine what Jim Kelley would have written about these 5 1/2 minutes. Yeeesh. 

11:30 left: Boston's Wheeler gone for delay of game (puck over glass).

9:35 left: Tough hit along the boards on Luke Adam by old friend Daniel Paille.

9:04 left: A few seconds after Gaustad takes out Wheeler, McCormick goes with Adam McQuaid. Has the early edge before falling at the end.

7:00 left: Shots are 9-8 for the Bruins, who have a two-goal lead mostly on the strength of two clean faceoff wins.

6:15 left: The Sabres pull within 3-2 on a sensational give-and-go in the Boston zone from from Connolly to Vanek, who pots the backhand past Rask. Of course, a trip of Ference by Vanek certainly helped the play too. No call. Fortuitous.

5:59 left: Here's a big chance for the Sabres to get even as Savard goes for slashing. What is this? Canada-Sweden?

5:45 left: Big chance? Bruins go up, 4-2, as Chara pots a layup on a 2-on-1 past a sprawling Miller. Seventh short-handed goal of the season against Buffalo, tied with Tampa Bay for most in the league. When your power play struggles, you can't be minus on it. Terrible. Way, way, way, way too easy.

1:24 left: Boychuk to the locker room with a right leg injury.

45.0 left: Rask stops Vanek, who tried to blast one through him as he went through the right circle.

40.1 left: Big goal for the Sabres as Stafford pushes the puck out from under Rask's glove and left leg just inside the post. Bruins lead, 4-3. Stafford's 11th.

End-1st: Crazy period of shinny ends with Boston leading 4-3. Shots are 16-11 for Sabres. Not defensive play and goaltending at its finest, that's for sure.

SECOND PERIOD

8:27 p.m.: Two changes in the arena, with Tim Thomas taking over the Boston net and me (John Vogl) taking over for Harrington so he can do the Mogilny-Kelley notebook.

8:28 p.m.: The Sabres get a power play just 22 seconds in as Mark Recchi hooks Paul Gaustad, who barrels over Thomas. Welcome to the game, Mr. Vezina Trophy favorite.

8:30 p.m.: Bruins easily kill the penalty and return to applying pressure.

8:31 p.m.: Boston gets its chance on the power play with 15:54 to go as Drew Stafford gets whistled for hooking. We'll see if the teams can get the eighth goal of the game. The Sabres and their opponents averaged 5.48 goals per game in HSBC Arena through the first 19 outings, and now in the 20th they strike for seven in 20 minutes.

8:36 p.m.: The Sabres tie the game, 4-4, with 13:43 left as Stafford steps out of the box, gets an outlet pass from Paul Gaustad, fakes a slap shot in the right dot and quickly fires a snap shot before Thomas can reset.

8:43 p.m.: Thomas stones Pominville twice with 10 minutes left to keep the score 4-4. Pominville wound up from the slot, got stopped, and then had his rebound chance tipped away.

8:49 p.m.: Big round of applause as Team USA's world junior team is announced on the Jumbtron. They're sitting way up in Section 315, a couple rows from the top. I'm sure Emerson Etem will complain. It's 4-4 with 6:01 left, while the Bruins hold an 11-7 shot edge this period.

8:56 p.m.: Miller keeps it 4-4 with 3:58 to go, sopping Nathan Horton on the doorstep after a sweet, no-look, backhand pass by Savard from behind the net.

8:58 p.m.: Bruins get a chance for another short-handed goal as Boychuk trips Vanek with 2:48 to go.

9 p.m.: The Sabres take a 5-4 lead with Pominville's power-play goal with 2:17 to go. He fired from the point, and the shot was going wide until it struck the skate of Seidenberg and caromed past Thomas.

9:02 p.m.: Fans get restless with 1:10 left as the Jumbotron goes dark. Now they actually have to watch the game on the ice instead of the TV screen.

9:04 p.m.: The Sabres head to the dressing room with a 5-4 lead. The Sabres have 30 shots, 14 in the second period, while the Bruins have 24, including 13 in the second. Good night from me, as Mike will be back for the third.

Third Period

9:20 p.m.: Harrington back in the saddle as the puck is dropped. Kudos to JVogl for taking over for the middle 20 minutes.

16:52 left: The Bruins tie it up at 5-5 at rookie Tyler Seguin buries one from the right circle over Miller's shoulder. It's been all Boston in this period -- six shots to none. Bruins deserved the tie. Great feed from the boards from Paille for his 100th NHL point.

16:18 left: Stafford gone for slashing. 

13:43 left: Out of the box, Stafford gets Buffalo's first shot on goal after Boston had eight.

12:54 left: You can see the talent of Seguin. What a saucer pass to rookie d-man Steve Kampfer for his second of the year. Bruins lead, 6-5. Shots are 9-1 in this period. This is Buffalo's highest-scoring game of the season. Previous high was nine combined goals twice. It's the first multi-point game of Seguin's career. In a real I'm-going-out-there guess, it won't be his last.

8:26 left: Shots are 10-1 for Boston. Sabres were 9-1-0 when leading after two periods. Bruins were 3-9-3 when trailing after two.

4:30 left: Two shots in the third period is not the way to protect the lead.

2:43 left: Icing against the Bruins. And people, again, start to pile up the staircases to the exits with three minutes left in a one-goal game.

2:20 left: A near miss as the puck squirts through Thomas legs but goes just wide of the left post on a shot by Pominville. 

1:29 left: Icing on Boston again. They're just holding on.

47.3 left: Faceoff in Boston end. According to NESN and the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in the Bruins' long history that four different defenseman have scored in a game (Chara, Ference, Seidenberg, Kampfer).

27.8 left: The Sabres tie it up at 6-6. Incredible work at the point by Leopold to keep the puck in and Stafford eventually puts it home on the backhand. Here come the hats on Mogilny's Hall of Fame night. Somehow appropriate. And it's 6-6. And our man Kelley is laughing from above at his buddies in the press box sweating out deadline now.

We go to OT at 6-6 -- but only after Horton narrowly misses from in front with Miller getting a piece. How did he get that open at this point? Shots were 11-5 for the Bruins in the third and it's 35-35 for the game.

OVERTIME

4:10 left: Stafford denied cutting in from Thomas' left. He has back-to-back hat tricks against Boston in the last two meetings. Wild.

2:39 left: Bruins have the only two shots but neither were dangerous.

1:49 left: Shots 4-0. Miller stops Horton. That one was dangerous.

End-OT: Still tied at 6-6. Bruins had the only five shots. It finishes 40-35 for Boston and 16-5 over the final 25 minutes. Sabres did well to get one point out of this. Still have a chance for two. Will have to check but I'm fairly certain this is the highest scoring Sabres game to ever go to a shootout.

SHOOTOUT

Sabres win, 7-6: Sabres get goals by Stafford, Vanek, Ennis. Bruins respond with Ryder and Seguin goals. Chara wide for the win.

Live from Edmonton: Sabres vs. Oilers

EDMONTON -- High-high-high atop another Canadian arena, get ready for what might be another ugly Sabres live blog as they get set to meet the Edmonton Oilers. The view is a little lower than last  night in Calgary. The way to get into the press box was worse. Two rickety metal staircases, then a catwalk, then a looooong walk around the hanging basket of a box. Hey, Canada: You can build a press box that's part of the arena instead of just hung from the roof. It's OK.

Now that I have that out of my system ..... 

It is cold here. Really cold. Freezing. Temperatures in the single digits. It was bright and sunny all afternoon and then it suddenly got ridiculously foggy as I was driving back for the game. Coming down the hill on Wayne Gretzky Drive, you couldn't even see the rink on your right. Crazy. 

I checked out the West Edmonton Mall, the largest in North America. I am not a mall person but this place was ridiculous. Its wiki page does an amazing job of detailing the history and such. Water parks (left), sea lion shows, themed areas like Bourbon Street and Chinatown and an indoor rink that the Oilers once used for practice. You could spend an entire day there easy. Or a couple.

But here's my warning: You'll never find your car. My rental was in area 32. After a couple hours of walking around the mall, I was hopelessly lost. How big is this place? I got a cab outside to drive me around to area 32 and the fare was in the $10 range. Think the bosses at TBN will let that one slide on the ol' expense account?

I've been trying to get my early edition story on Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle done and it's complete (be sure to check it out in the paper tomorrow). Maybe in the first intermission I'll post a couple pictures of the view or the mall water park. There is a game to talk about here. I hear you out there: Do we have to? Yes people, we do. That's what I'm here for.

The Sabres are 1-5-2 in their last eight on the road. They're decimated by injuries and Tyler Myers' illness. They're closer to a top-five draft pick than the playoffs. How ugly might Saturday night in HSBC Arena be if this one is ugly tonight? Let's wait and see. And yep, Ryan Miller is again going for win No. 200. 

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

Sabres starters: Stafford-Hecht-Pominville-Sekera-Leopold (change in pairings). Goal: Miller
Oilers starters: Hall-Gagner-Eberle-Peckham-Gilbert. Goal: Khabibulin. 

Third Period

10:46 p.m.: (killer for reporter deadlines): The puck is dropped.

17:15 left: Buffalo gets the breathing room tally it needs from Hecht, who breaks down the left wing and beats Khabibulin between the legs after taking a backhand pass from Gerbe. (Bad goal there). An assist from Weber on the play as well. Hecht has been much better tonight than last night's disaster. Sabres lead, 3-1.

15:22 left: Great save from Miller on Eberle, who has been dangerous.

13:42 left: Ryan Jones puts home Tom Gilbert's pass. Or did the pass go in off Rivet? Either way, Sabres lead 3-2. Play is under review. Goal stands. Goes to Gilbert as ruled in off Rivet.

13:00 left: They switched the goal and gave it to Jones.

12:49 left: Miller smothers Smid's shot from the left circle.

8:54 left: McCormick for slashing in the offensive zone. Smacked the stick right out of Penner's hands. No reason.

2;53 left: Great glvoe save by Miller on Hemsky.

2:00 left: Miller close to No. 200. Holding on.

It's Over: A 4-2 win as Weber hits the empty net with a 180-footer at 19:08. No. 200 for Miller and he shares a bearhug with Lalime as they're the last two off the ice.

Second Period

9:56 p.m.: The puck is dropped. Scroll up and check out the picture I posted of the waterpark inside the mall. Filled with people on the slides and the rapids on a 0-degree day. How cool is that?

16:27 left: Sabres take the 2-1 lead as Weber snaps one from the point and it goes all the way in over Khabibulin's glove. Weber's first NHL goal.

15:44 left: Stafford for hooking. This note just in on my cell phone: A voicemail from United that my flights home tomorrow are canceled and they "hope" to be able to rebook me on Thursday. Wonderful. I'll be working that issue after the game.

11:00 left: The Oilers had plenty of jump at the start of this game and they are dead-dead-dead now. They had some early chances to convert and take a 2-0 lead and didn't. Now the Sabres are controlling play. Of course, controlling play against the 15th place team in the West is hardly cause for celebration. Small victories at this point.

9:58 left: McCormick for slashing a few seconds after a brutal giveaway by Montador, who sent the puck in the slot in front of his net.

6:39 left: Sabres doing a great job on the PK tonight. Now they have a power play as Hemsky goes for hooking. 

2:53 left: Rivet goes for cross checking Jean-Francois Jacque. An obvious call but it was the retaliation, which is what officials always see. Do they really think a guy just blatantly drills somebody at center ice for no reason without provocation? 

43.4 left: Rivet breakaway out of the box, pulled down by Smid and they knock the net off. No call. Sabres looking for the penalty shot and got nothing. That said, Rivet got too close and needed to shoot.

End-2nd: Sabres lead 2-1. Edmonton had a 7-5 edge in shots and it's 18-16 for the Oilers through two.

First Period

9:08 p.m.: Puck is dropped.

18:33 left: An early disaster. Tyler Ennis stripped right in front by Ales Hemsky. Dustin Penner walks in alone on Miller and beats him between the legs. 1-0 Oilers on the game's first shot.  Forwards were terrible last night, giving the puck away ad nauseum. It continues. And it would be nice if Miller would make a stop too.

14:30 left: Lindy Ruff is pretty much out of ideas with this team. What to do? Trash everything, lines and defense pairings. The only line that's status quo is Stafford-Hecht-Pominville. After that, it's Vanek-McCormick-Gerbe, Niedermayer-Adam-Kaleta and Ennis-Gaustad-Grier. On defense, Leopold and Montador, who have been slumping for a few weeks, are no longer together. Leopold is with Sekera in Myers' spot while Montador is with Weber and Rivet is with Morrisonn.

13:07 left: Glad to see the Sabres conserved energy by having an optional morning skate. Shots are 4-0 for the Oilers so far. Puck has hardly been in the Edmonton zone. Memo to Terry Pegula: If this keeps up, the expectation is that you will back up the truck and start shipping out everything.

10:32 left: Buffalo's first shot, a routine flip shot from the left point by Leopold.

8:55 left: Holy moly, a real scoring chance. A great save by Khabibulin denies Grier on the wraparound attempt. Looked like Grier had the post but the Oilers' goalie got back quickly. Shots are 6-3 for Edmonton.

6:56 left: Sabres finally woke up. Great shift by Adam keyed his line and Buffalo actually leads in shots at 7-6.

4:29 left: Mr. Vogl would be happy. They have cheerleaders here, which should be considered blasphemous in Canada. They're called the Octane. Get it? Oil, octane. These jokesters. You want a link? Not on my blog, people. Go find it yourself!

3:24 left: It is very, very quiet here. HSBC-level quiet. Nothing like Calgary, where there was quite a buzz all night. Maybe everyone is fronzen in their seats. It's FREEZING in here. I can feel a breeze on my neck. What's up with that? 

2:12 left: Sabres tie it at 1-1. Kaleta does the dirty work behind the net and gets it out front to Adam, whose 5-footer is tipped by and Edmonton defenseman but still has the mustard to make the net. Game tied, 1-1. Adam's second of the year. Sabres have been the better team last 10 minutes.

1:25 left: Gerbe foiled on clear break on 2-on-0 with Vanek. Hmmm. Vanek 13 goals, Gerbe one goal. Pass? Maybe?

End-1st: We're tied at 1-1 and shots are 11-11. Sabres, remember, had no shots for first 9:28 of the period.

Quiet skate for Sabres

EDMONTON -- A quiet morning skate for the Sabres at Rexall Place as it's an optional, as most of them are on the second day of back-to-back games. The Sabres are just 3-6-1 in the back end this year, which doesn't bode well for tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers.

On the ice are Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford, Mike Grier, Paul Gaustad, Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis, Luke Adam, Mike Weber, Chris Butler, Craig Rivet and Patrick Lalime. Lindy Ruff is not here as the assistant coaches are running the skaters through drills.

Ruff is scheduled to meet the media at 5 p.m. local time (7 p.m. in Buffalo) and that's when we should get definitive word on Tyler Myers' status for tonight.

The Oilers, meanwhile, are 0-2-1 in their last three games and 1-4-1 in their last six but this is the opener of a five-game homestand for them. Rookies Jordan Eberle (9-13-22) and Taylor Hall (11-10-21) are third and fourth, respectively, on the team in scoring. WJC alums from last year's Team Canada squad, I chatted with both of them and you can read it in Wednesday's Buffalo News (cheap plug alert).

Stay tuned later today for the word from Ruff.

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

Around the dressing room on Roy

CALGARY -- Lindy Ruff says Tim Connolly will not play tonight or tomorrow in Edmonton but will be back Saturday against Boston. Here's what some of the players said after today's skate about Derek Roy's injury:

Ryan Miller: "It's easy to start playing the victim. Derek got hurt and we feel bad because he's a great friend of ours and was having a great season.. We just hopes he gets back to health and we have to take care of business on our end. Even if he missed a few weeks, we'd have to play the same kind of game we will now. It's just another element, another part of the test."

Thomas Vanek: "It's hard for all of us but especially for me as a friend and a linemate. I've played with him a long time now it seems like. It's tough. We feel bad for him. It seemed like a nothing play and now he's done. You feel for him. He was having a great year, a great competitor for us. We all know we have to be a little better here."

Rob Niedermayer, who will take Roy's place between Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis: "I have to be able to get these guys the puck. They're both creative players offensively. You lose a guy like Derek who has been so consistent, it's up to you be big and take the responsibility for everyone."

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

No lineup changes for Sabres

The Sabres had an optional morning skate in HSBC Arena in preparation for tonight's game against the Florida Panthers. Based on Tuesday's win over Anaheim, you would not anticipate any lineup changes. That would mean the scratches would continue to be Tim Connolly, Shaone Morrisonn, Chris Butler and Luke Adam.

Morrisonn has been cleared for contact after his concussion but is now going to have to wait his turn to get back in the lineup.

"We're desperate for defensemen to play well," coach Lindy Ruff said. Realistically, however, Morrisonn could only go in for some point for Mike Weber or Craig Rivet. Ryan Miller goes for his 200th career victory tonight.

George Richards of the Miami Herald, author of the whimsical On Frozen Pond blog that is one of the league's best, is reporting that Tomas Vokoun will start in goal for the Panthers tonight. Vokoun was pulled after just 11 minutes last night in Pittsburgh, giving up the first three goals in a 5-2 defeat. Vokoun is 13-13 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Backup Scott Clemmensen (2-4, 2.61, 9.13) finished last night and played well.

It makes a big difference to the Sabres who plays. Buffalo is 11-3-2 this year against backup goalies and just 3-13-2 against starters in one of the more bizarre stats of the season you'll ever find. 

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

Looks like Sabres to meet another backup

It's easy to see that opposing teams don't respect the Sabres' pop-gun offense: They keep playing their backup goalies against Buffalo. It appears Tuukka Rask will start tonight for the Boston Bruins, who are holding out ace Tim Thomas for tomorrow night's showdown in Montreal. Rask, of course, stymied the Sabres and outplayed Ryan Miller last year in the playoffs but has hardly been a world-beater this year (2-6-1, 2.51, .928).

By my count, the Sabres are a stellar 9-3-2 against backups this season. Of course, that means they're 3-11-2 when the opponents play their No. 1 guy and that's pathetic. The Sabres' only wins over starters came Nov. 6 at Toronto (beating J.S. Giguere), Dec. 4 at Ottawa (Brian Elliott) and Dec. 9 over San Jose (Antti Niemi)

Add Rask to a long line of backups that have played against Buffalo this season. This will be the 15th time in 31 games the Sabres have seen the No. 2 guy (or in the case of Washington, the No. 3). Some were injury related and some are schedule-related but most are also let's-start-the-backup-against-the-weaker-team thinking.

In addition to Rask for Thomas tonight, the Sabres have also seen Los Angeles' Jonathan Bernier (instead of Jonathan Quick), Vancouver's Corey Schneider (Roberto Luongo), old friend Marty Biron of the Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), Dallas' Andrew Raycroft (Kari Lehtinen), Columbus' Mathieu Garon (Steve Mason), Washington's Braden Holtby (Michal Neuvirth), Toronto's Jonas Gustavsson (Giguere), Atlanta's Chris Mason twice (Ondrej Pavelec), Chicago's Corey Crawford (Marty Turco), Ottawa's Pascal Leclaire (Elliott), New Jersey's Johan Hedberg twice (Martin Brodeur), and Tampa's Mike Smith (Dan Ellis).

On paper, it should be a break to not have to try to beat Thomas, who is 14-2-3 and leads the league in GAA (1.51) and save percentage (.954). We'll see.

No changes from yesterday's practice lineup for Buffalo. Nathan Gerbe and Craig Rivet will be scratches with Rob Niedermayer, Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly all in the lineup.

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