LINEUP NEWS
- Tyler Ennis returns to the lineup after missing 17 games due to injury (high ankle sprain).
- Ennis will shift to center on a line with Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe.
- Paul Gaustad will be a game-time decision; he has missed last three games with upper body injury.
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal.

WHAT THEY WERE SAYING TODAY
Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
With basically your full lineup back tonight, can you get the guys back to how the opened the season in Europe?
We’ve had a tough ride. Getting back to that point isn’t just flipping a switch. It’s gonna take a total team effort. I don’t think it’s that easy.

What have you seen in Ennis that prompted you to move him to center?
We need a little creativity there in the middle. I think his speed and creativity should give us some of that. He’s always had a pretty good link with Stafford. We started the season with those two guys together. Tyler was in on a great number of Staff’s goals last year. If he can free him up for an extra one or two times per game, then it should help us generate a few more goals.

Is being without Hecht one of the reasons you shifted Ennis to center?
Part of it is. We’re gonna need somebody to step in there. It’s a little bit of a gamble, little bit of a guess. But it’s worth taking a shot at.

Tyler Ennis (click to hear full audio)
What was going through your mind when you re-injured your ankle in December?
It was just frustrating. I thought I got it going right before, but when I hurt it again it was pretty frustrating. I feel good, ready to go; can’t wait.

What are you looking forward to about playing center?
I think just having the puck a little more, skating the puck out and taking charge a little bit. I’ve played center in the minors, in junior, and a little bit up here. I’m excited to switch it up a bit. I’m gonna have the puck a bit more, so I can create more that way.

Did you really learn to play center while you were in Portland?
I played it growing up. But playing in the d-zone and technically, it was a good time for me to play center in Portland. There are bigger guys, so positionally it helped me a lot there. There are a lot of smaller guys that play center in this league. It’s all about having a good stick, being smarter and quicker.

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Roy-Pominville
Stafford-Boyes-Leino
Ellis-Adam-McCormick
Gerbe-Hecht-Kaleta

LINEUP NEWS
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal, despite taking shot to collarbone area during practice
- Robyn Regehr returns to the lineup after missing 4 games due to injury.
- Christian Ehrhoff returns to the lineup after missing 11 games due to injury.
- Joe Finley has been returned to Rochester.

WHAT THEY WERE SAYING
Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
Has Robyn Regehr improved enough to play?
Yeah, it looks like Robyn is good to go. He says he feels strong enough, and we’re gonna play him.

How is Ryan?
I think he’s okay. He took a shot there. I didn’t see it.

Getting Ehrhoff and Regehr back tonight is obviously a real boost for you?
It should really help our defending. In our own end where we’ve had a tough time, getting two NHL defensemen back should help us.

Robyn Regehr (click to hear full audio)
From the looks of the morning skate, it looks like you are back tonight?
Yep, I’m gonna go out there and try and help us win a game. It’s come around in the last couple of days. I’m able to take some slap shots and hit a few guys in practice.

Being strong enough to return is important for you with this injury?
It’s the battles in the corner for the puck, or body position in front, things like that where you need some strength and stability in your shoulders to be able to do that. So that was one of the issues I was facing, and it seems to be okay.

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville
Stafford-Roy-Gerbe
Adam-Boyes-Leino
Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta

LINEUP NEWS
- Andrej Sekera returns to the lineup after missing 8 games due to injury.
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal.
- TJ Brennan recalled from Rochester, expected to play.
- Cody McCormick and Joe Finley are the likely scratches.

Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
Do you agree that you’ll have to cut down on turnovers against a team like Detroit?
Our defense is gonna have to be better. We’re gonna have to make smarter decisions. We’re gonna have to be better with the puck in the offensive zone so we can play there more. I think that’ll be the key. It all starts with what we do up ice. If we allow them to control play in our end, give them that period of time, then by the time we’re done defending we’re giving them back the puck usually. That won’t work.

What does Andrej Sekera bring back to the lineup?
He brings that experience. He’s played against the top lines; we were using him against the other team’s top personnel. He can skate with them, he can defend against them. We lose a good player (Regehr), but we’re getting a good player back in return.

How is Robyn Regehr doing; any chance he’s back this week?
I don’t know, I can’t answer that. He’s still day-to-day, and I would say there isn’t any likelihood for Wednesday or Thursday.

Is Christian Ehrhoff getting closer to a return?
Christian is okay, he’s coming. We don’t exactly know; it’s a pain tolerance thing.

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville
Stafford-Roy-Gerbe
Adam-Boyes-Leino
Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta

LINEUP NEWS
- Derek Roy will play tonight, centering a line with Stafford and Gerbe.
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal.
- Andrej Sekera & Christian Ehrhoff took part in today’s skate in non-contact roles. Both are at least a week away.

WHAT THEY WERE SAYING TODAY:
Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
With Derek Roy’s injury, are you concerned about him taking faceoffs?
Well I guess the obvious answer is yes, probably. It’s already happened twice. Maybe in some situations we won’t have him in there taking them. A winger is gonna have to step in, whether it’s Stafford or Pominville. Someone is gonna have to step in every so often. Especially if we’re losing the bulk of them.

Can you build on the urgency the team showed in the third period on Tuesday?
When we looked at the game again, there was some real good play in the second period as well. Over the last 40 minutes, we maybe gave up four opportunities. It’s a tough game; you’ve gotta get inside and get the second opportunities. There’s not a lot of the easy opportunities out there, the coming up ice and trying to score on the rush. Teams are doing a good job of eliminating that. Toronto did a good job of staying in lanes and eliminating the opportunities.

How do you feel now that Terry Pegula has spoken up, and he understands the injuries have been such a major problem for the team this season?
I still think nobody is happy. None of us are happy, and you want to win through any circumstances. I feel that right now we are healthy enough to win. We’re not gonna blow anybody out, we’re gonna have to win some tight games.

Derek Roy (click to hear full audio)
Will you be playing tonight?
Yes I will. Gotta get ready for the game, get my legs going early and get a win tonight.

Is it a pain tolerance issue for you?
It’s more a strength thing, being able to go in the corners and try to battle and get pucks back. I worked on a lot of different strength routines everyday, and it’s gotten a lot stronger.

Nathan Gerbe (click to hear full audio)
Does it help to hear that the owner is still behind you?
Yeah, I think it does. We know we can be a good team. But we know we need to find an identity, and find it soon. Having your ownership and coaches back you does go a long way and give you a bit of confidence.

Is it more than just injuries the team has had to deal with?
I think it’s more than that. We’ve still got a lot of good players in the lineup. Injuries don’t help, but some other guys need to step up – myself included. I need to find a way to play better and score for this team.

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville
Stafford-Leino-Boyes
Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta
Adam-Ellis-McCormick

LINEUP NEWS
- Derek Roy will take the pre-game warmup and will be a game-time decision.
- Roy alternated at center with Matt Ellis between Adam/McCormick during today’s skate.
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal tonight.
- Andrej Sekera also took part in the morning skate.


WHAT THEY WERE SAYING THIS MORNING
Derek Roy (click to hear full audio)
Will you be playing tonight?
Game-time decision. I’ll take the afternoon and see how it (shoulder) feels. Then come warmup, get out there and get ready to go, and we’ll see if it’s ready.

Nothing like some adrenaline to get you back into it?
Yeah, this is a big game for us. We need the points, and obviously they need them as well. Both sides are really gonna be battling. We haven’t been playing well on the road lately, and we’ve gotta play a smart game.

Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
Is there a possibility that Derek Roy can play tonight?
We’ll take a look. He was better this morning than he was yesterday. Get him through the afternoon, then let him go for warmup and see where he’s at. He feels he’s close.

What kind of road game do you need to play tonight?
We were right there in Carolina and let it slip away halfway through the third period. It was the mistake of giving them the glorious opportunity. It wasn’t one they earned, we basically gave it to them. I think that when you are struggling on the offensive side, you cheat on the offensive side of the puck. We cheated on the offensive side and gave up a two-on-one that led to the game-winning goal.

Any updates on the progress of Ehrhoff and Ennis?
Christian is back in Buffalo skating, and Tyler isn’t on the ice yet.

What have you learned from the two previous games against Toronto?
They’ve been tight games. The Leafs have a good power play. They’ve got some good creativity on the top three lines. I’ve seen them score a lot of nice goals.

Is there a sense of urgency when playing a team you are chasing in the standings?
There’s no doubt there. Urgency has to be at a premium.

Is there any panic in the locker room at the midway point of the season?
The one thing we are, we’re exactly where we were last year. We’ve gotta step forward; we have a tough schedule. It all starts with one game. The disappointing part has been our road game.

Just when it seems like the Buffalo Sabres receive some good news on the injury front, bad news keeps knocking at their door.
 
While defenseman Tyler Myers returned to the lineup last night and forward Ville Leino set to make his comeback tonight against the Winnipeg Jets after missing the last 10 games with a lower body injury, Derek Roy will now be out of the lineup for what head coach Lindy Ruff is calling a period of time.
 
Roy left 6:19 into last night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper body injury and did not return.
 
“Right now, initially, we don’t feel it’s too bad, but it’s going to be more than days,” Ruff said.
 
The Sabres are 13-2-3 this season when Roy records a point and he also logs significant minutes on special teams. Ruff said that Leino and Brad Boyes will each see time at the center position to help fill the void.
 
“By [Roy] being out, someone else is going to have to step in and play those big minutes,” said captain Jason Pominville. “I don’t know who it will be but everyone’s going to have to increase their energy.”

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Pominville will reach a career milestone when he suits up for his 500th NHL game tonight. Roy and Thomas Vanek both reached the 500-game plateau earlier in the season. This will be the first time in franchise history that three players drafted and developed by the Sabres will play have reached 500 games with the team in the same season.
 
“It means a lot. I think earlier on in my career, not a lot of people probably would’ve said that I would’ve played 500,” Pominville said. “And to be able to do it with the same team, the same group of guys – great guys, guys that we’ve had a chance to grow up together basically and start having families and start having our separate lives – has been pretty cool.”

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Ruff also confirmed that winger Zack Kassian and defenseman TJ Brennan have been returned to the team’s AHL affiliate in Rochester.

After missing the past 19 games with a broken wrist, Sabres blueliner Tyler Myers returns to action tonight when Buffalo takes on the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center in Raleigh North Carolina. Myers rejoins the team at a critical time as Buffalo finds themselves sitting four points out of the eighth and final placeoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  After a 19-game absence, conditioning should not play a factor in tonight’s game as Myers was able to keep in game shape during his time off.

“He’s had a lot of good conditioning,” commented head coach Lindy Ruff. “We’re hoping he can lead our D in ice time. That is really my goal. I said we weren’t going to hold back. We have to evaluate it as it goes but the goal is to get him right back into the groove. “

Prior to the injury, Myers had played in 19 games and totaled six points (2+4) and was a plus- -4 and wants to contribute right away for the blue and gold. “It’s always frustrating when you’re not doing as well as you want to, but I’m not going to stand here and say that they need me to win. I’m just happy to be back and help the team as much as I can but they were doing just fine – we just know that we have to be better.”

The Hurricanes find themselves sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference. Eleven points out of the final playoff spot, the ‘Canes brought in Milwaukee Admirals coach Kirk Muller to try and spark the franchise. However a 5-8-3 record in his first sixteen games has the new head coach searching for a way to spark his club.

Forward Ville Leino skated with the team during this morning skate as he continues to rehab a lower body injury. Cody McCormick and defenseman TJ Brennan also skated extra following the workout leaning towards them being scratched for tonight’s contest.

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Roy-Kassian
Stafford-Adam-Boyes
Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta
Gerbe-Hecht-McCormick

LINEUP NEWS
- Jason Pominville was held out of practice, but Ruff thinks he’ll be okay to play.
- In Pominville’s absence, Kassian skated on line with Vanek and Roy.
- Ryan Miller expected to start in goal tonight.
- Ville Leino took part in the morning skate.

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Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
Is Jason Pominville too sick to play tonight?
No, we held him off. I think he’ll be alright; we just kept him off the ice this morning.

Ville Leino skated with the team and looked good. Where is his progress?
It’s his first time out; he’s skated a couple of times on his own. We think that in his case, he should be able to progress pretty fast.

You have with Roy paired with Vanek. Do you hope that can get him going again?
I look at how many inside opportunities a player gets. It’s not whether someone else can get him going. You’ve gotta get yourself going. And that’s getting to the inside. Whether you’ve gotta get down on your knees, stick the puck in your teeth and crawl into the net. That’s how dirty you’ve gotta get when it isn’t going as good as you want it to go.

Roy was playing some of the best hockey of his career before he got hurt last year. Would you agree that it hasn’t come back for him?
Not yet it hasn’t completely come back. I think that’s been evident. He’s had some real good pockets of play, but overall he hasn’t been able to push through and make a difference.

What are your thoughts on the Oilers?
As a team they have some real good speed. Their young players can fly. It’s a team that’s gonna be real scary. You give it a year or two and they’re going to be a real scary crew to play against.

Do you put more emphasis on your start tonight knowing Edmonton is on a long road trip and they played last night in Chicago?
I think from their front, you need to play a clean start. For us it’s about having a little more energy and push past them. Get the puck in the right place and get them under a lot of stress.

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SABRES VS. OILERS
- This is the first and only meeting between the Sabres and Oilers this season.
- Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Edmonton, 4-2, in Edmonton on Dec. 28, 2010.The Sabres are 5-4-1in their last 10 games vs. the Oilers; 3-4-3 at home.
- This is the 65th game all-time between Buffalo and Edmonton; Buffalo trails the series with a 20-34-10 record. Buffalo is 12-13-7 at
home against the Oilers all-time.
- The Sabres have won their last five games against the Oilers, outscoring them 22-7 during that span. Ryan Miller started all five of
those games and is a perfect 5-0-0 against the Oilers in his career with a 1.40 GAA.
- Edmonton’s last win against the Sabres came on Oct. 16, 2003. The Oilers haven’t won in Buffalo since March 4, 2002.

After yet another injury to the Buffalo Sabres defensive corps, TJ Brennan will begin his second stint in the NHL tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

Brennan was recalled from Rochester following an injury to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff last night in Washington. Head coach Lindy Ruff maintains that the injury will leave Ehrhoff on the sidelines for a few weeks.

"Our doctor will look at him today. I don't think [the timetable] has changed. I don't think it's going to be any shorter than that," Ruff said after this morning's team meeting.

With injuries to Andrej Sekera and Ehrhoff in consecutive games and Tyler Myers still nursing a broken wrist, the Sabres defense is looking younger and less experienced than it has at almost any point this season. Brennan played in three games with Buffalo last month, scoring a goal in his NHL debut on Nov. 23 against Boston.

He was sent back down to Rochester but missed time with the Amerks due to concussion-like symptoms that stemmed from a collision with Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin in his last game in Buffalo. If not for that injury, Brennan could have been recalled sooner.

"It was a mild concussion. Not really sure if I had one or not, but they just wanted to take precautions," Brennan said. "It took me a couple weeks to get back out there but it's a timing thing. Obviously, it's frustrating not being called back up, but it's good to see Joe Finley get some time up here and he did well while he was up here. But you just try and come back in the lineup and hope for that next call-up."

Ruff said that he will try to spread the minutes out evenly among his six healthy defensemen: Brennan, Jordan Leopold, Robyn Regehr, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Brayden McNabb and Mike Weber.

Weber knows about the injury problems the Sabres are facing all too well. After sitting out 15 of the first 18 games of the season as a healthy scratch, he missed the next 11 games with an injury of his own.  With that, Weber, who has averaged 18:12 in 11 games this season, is prepared to step into a bigger role while the team endures another round of injuries.

"I feel like I'm skating well, moving well and still bringing a physical edge," Weber said. "It's still fine-tuning parts of my game to make this team successful and I think that's just really knowing my role and being the best shutdown guy I can be."

Despite the inexperience on defense, Ruff expects another close game against the Senators tonight, the fifth of six meetings this season between the teams.

"We've played them tight. All the games have been real tight with Ottawa. I wouldn't anticipate anything different," Ruff said. "They may look at our defense and think, 'We've really gotta come after them and put them under a lot of duress.' For me, it's going to be how well we're going to play in the offensive zone to relieve some of that pressure."

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In other injury news, winger Nathan Gerbe will be a game-time decision. Ruff said that Gerbe, who has missed the last 10 games with a concussion, will participate in pre-game warm-ups and a decision on whether or not he'll play will be made after that.

Ruff also would not name a starting goaltender for tonight's game. Ryan Miller has started the team's last eight games while Jhonas Enroth is 2-0-0 against Ottawa this season with a 1.44 goals against average.

The Sabres and Senators square off at 7 p.m. at the First Niagara Center. 

MORNING SKATE LINES
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville
Stafford-Roy-Boyes
McCormick-Gaustad-Kaleta
Ellis-Adam-Kassian

LINEUP NEWS
- Ryan Miller will start in goal tonight.
- no changes to the lines from Monday’s win over Washington
- Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis also took part in today’s morning skate
- Martin Brodeur will start in goal for New Jersey

WHAT THEY WERE SAYING THIS MORNING:

Lindy Ruff (click to hear full audio)
Is it nice to be able to talk hockey, and not injured or new players in the lineup?
Yeah, it’s one of the first times the lineup stays the same. And that’s good. We’d like to build off that last game and try and play as well.

Is it easier to build off a win when you aren’t forced to make changes?
When you can have some consistency with your lines it can only help your team. We saw some real good play last game, and some real good opportunities. Getting some veterans back in the lineup helped.

Were you happy that the number of mental mistakes was much lower on Monday?
We didn’t make a lot; it was one of our cleaner games. For the first 30 minutes we only gave up two or three opportunities, and one of those was earned. It was a better game in a sense of making mistakes.

What do you have to do to beat the Devils tonight?
Their penalty killing is the best in the league. If you can get by that, and create some energy or maybe get a goal, I think it starts there. For the most part they are a team that has real good size. They’ve got some very creative guys up front, and I think they’re a very hard working crew.