The Buffalo Sabres can pick up 2 points tonight, but plenty more can go their way if the scoreboard cooperates. Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff, admits he'll be watching. "I take a look every now and then," Ruff said during his weekly spot with the Howard Simon Show. "I might take a look once a period or you can get an update between periods...especially around this time of year."
The Sabres play at home against Ottawa, but there's much more to watch. Buffalo must worry about Boston (8th place with 84 points) Washington (9th place 82 points) and even Florida (T-10th place with 81 points).
"I've got a number in my head," Ruff said. "We've talked about our short term focus, and just focusing in on the game tonight, but realistically it’s going to be in that 91, 92 point range, maybe even 93. So possibly 6 out of 7 wins, we're going to need."
The Sabres get a little healthier tonight, as they will put Nathan Paetsch back into the lineup. He'll play in his first game since getting knocked out with an elbow to the face.
"Nathan will be back. Got a couple good practices and is feeling real good. Dmitri Kalinin is doing better, but hasn't rejoined the team practicing and Jaro is in the same category. We just get daily updates and see if they're improving which they are...at a slow pace," Ruff said.
The Sabres will once again turn to Ryan Miller for tonight's tilt. It marks his 70th start of the season.
"I think recently with the amount of games we've played I don't think it's a physical battle...but it's a mental battle. This is a test we're putting him through and for the most part I think it's a mental test. It comes down to focus and it comes down to preparation and it’s a tough test. But we're sure that he can pass it."
The Sabres faceoff with Ottawa at 7 pm here on WGR.
Keep an eye on these games too:
Boston @ Toronto
Washington @ Carolina
Florida @ Tampa Bay
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