Daniel Briere will be the center of attention, but the Buffalo Sabres have to pay attention to their centers.
The Sabres? top two middlemen, Derek Roy and Tim Connolly, skipped Thursday?s practice in HSBC Arena. Roy injured his shoulder during the first period of Wednesday?s game against the New York Islanders, while Connolly missed the third period of the game with an illness.
They are day-to-day, and their availability for tonight?s home game against Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers won?t be determined until today.
Roy got hurt when he fell in the corner and missed the final two periods. He received treatment Thursday.
?It?s somewhere between a bad bruise and a sprain,? said coach Lindy Ruff.
If Connolly does play, Ruff hinted the center?s illness could limit his effectiveness.
?He may be able to play in a limited role if he?s feeling better,? Ruff said.
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The 2-1 win over the Islanders was just the Sabres? fourth onegoal victory of the season. They hadn?t won a game that tight since beating Boston, 2-1, Nov. 7.
The Sabres? goal totals prove close games are rare. In the team?s 17 victories, it has outscored the opponents by a whopping 76-29. In the 15 losses, the Sabres have been outscored, 60-25.
?I think that shows some inconsistency, and I think we?re getting out of that,? captain Brian Campbell said. ?We were really inconsistent: One game good, one game not so good. I think it?s gotten a lot better.?
Two of the Sabres? wins this month were an 8-1 shellacking of Carolina and a 7-1 pasting of San Jose. Those squads had played the previous night, and Ruff says his team poured it on against tired clubs, enhancing the goal differential.
?You get a lead, you start to run away with the game, and they didn?t have a lot of energy,? said Ruff, who attributes part of the gap in losses to the Sabres? mind-set when trailing. ?We?re a team that when we get down a couple we don?t try to play a cozy game to try and get back in it. We try to play, ?Let?s challenge it. Let?s run the risk of either going sour or getting back in the game.? ?
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Dmitri Kalinin missed 23 games with a knee sprain, but he can be excused for thinking he didn?t miss anything.
The Islanders outshot the Sabres, 43-17, in Kalinin?s first game since getting hurt Oct. 24. The shot difference was Buffalo?s worst of the season. What mark did it eclipse? That would be the last game Kalinin played. Carolina outshot the Sabres, 43-21, on Oct. 24.
Kalinin skated for 13:30 against New York, taking three shots and blocking two. He was on the ice for the Islanders? goal.
?He got through the game good,? Ruff said. ?We utilized him a little more as the game went on. It?s the first game. I think you?re going to see better things as he gets back into action.?
? ? ?
The Sabres and Flyers were the latest teams to meet with new NHL Players? Association President Paul Kelly. The union head, elected in late October, is touring to greet all 30 teams and has about a half-dozen remaining. He met with the Sabres in the arena after practice and with the Flyers in their downtown hotel.
The 90-minute introductory sessions, are gathering players? opinions on rules, visors, scheduling, expansion, contracts and a variety of other issues.
? ? ?
With Roy and Connolly out Thursday, the Sabres were one forward shy of four full lines. Rehabbing defenseman Teppo Numminen moved up, playing the role of forechecking winger.
The Sabres? top two middlemen, Derek Roy and Tim Connolly, skipped Thursday?s practice in HSBC Arena. Roy injured his shoulder during the first period of Wednesday?s game against the New York Islanders, while Connolly missed the third period of the game with an illness.
They are day-to-day, and their availability for tonight?s home game against Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers won?t be determined until today.
Roy got hurt when he fell in the corner and missed the final two periods. He received treatment Thursday.
?It?s somewhere between a bad bruise and a sprain,? said coach Lindy Ruff.
If Connolly does play, Ruff hinted the center?s illness could limit his effectiveness.
?He may be able to play in a limited role if he?s feeling better,? Ruff said.
? ? ?
The 2-1 win over the Islanders was just the Sabres? fourth onegoal victory of the season. They hadn?t won a game that tight since beating Boston, 2-1, Nov. 7.
The Sabres? goal totals prove close games are rare. In the team?s 17 victories, it has outscored the opponents by a whopping 76-29. In the 15 losses, the Sabres have been outscored, 60-25.
?I think that shows some inconsistency, and I think we?re getting out of that,? captain Brian Campbell said. ?We were really inconsistent: One game good, one game not so good. I think it?s gotten a lot better.?
Two of the Sabres? wins this month were an 8-1 shellacking of Carolina and a 7-1 pasting of San Jose. Those squads had played the previous night, and Ruff says his team poured it on against tired clubs, enhancing the goal differential.
?You get a lead, you start to run away with the game, and they didn?t have a lot of energy,? said Ruff, who attributes part of the gap in losses to the Sabres? mind-set when trailing. ?We?re a team that when we get down a couple we don?t try to play a cozy game to try and get back in it. We try to play, ?Let?s challenge it. Let?s run the risk of either going sour or getting back in the game.? ?
? ? ?
Dmitri Kalinin missed 23 games with a knee sprain, but he can be excused for thinking he didn?t miss anything.
The Islanders outshot the Sabres, 43-17, in Kalinin?s first game since getting hurt Oct. 24. The shot difference was Buffalo?s worst of the season. What mark did it eclipse? That would be the last game Kalinin played. Carolina outshot the Sabres, 43-21, on Oct. 24.
Kalinin skated for 13:30 against New York, taking three shots and blocking two. He was on the ice for the Islanders? goal.
?He got through the game good,? Ruff said. ?We utilized him a little more as the game went on. It?s the first game. I think you?re going to see better things as he gets back into action.?
? ? ?
The Sabres and Flyers were the latest teams to meet with new NHL Players? Association President Paul Kelly. The union head, elected in late October, is touring to greet all 30 teams and has about a half-dozen remaining. He met with the Sabres in the arena after practice and with the Flyers in their downtown hotel.
The 90-minute introductory sessions, are gathering players? opinions on rules, visors, scheduling, expansion, contracts and a variety of other issues.
? ? ?
With Roy and Connolly out Thursday, the Sabres were one forward shy of four full lines. Rehabbing defenseman Teppo Numminen moved up, playing the role of forechecking winger.
