BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Still wearing his bulky goalie equipment
after practice Thursday, Ryan Miller waddled into the Sabres locker
room and plopped down in what's become his temporary stall: A blue
folding chair nudged up against a wood-paneled wall.
There's only space for two goalies, and Miller has been the one
squeezed out while spending the past month recovering from a
sprained left ankle. The quarters are cramped and the makeshift
setup not ideal or befitting a starting goaltender; but at least
it's a seat that allows Miller to feel as if he's part of the team
"One step at a time," Miller said, when asked when he'll get
back his familiar stall, which has been occupied by third-stringer
Mikael Tellqvist, who was acquired in a trade with Phoenix earlier
this month.
Move over Mikael, because Miller's moving back into the big
chair starting Friday, when Buffalo hosts Toronto.
It'll be Miller's first appearance after missing 13 games, a
stretch in which the Sabres posted a 4-7-2 record and went from
being in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference standings to
nearly falling out of contention.
With nine games remaining, the Sabres have little margin for
error and very little control over their destiny, sitting in 10th
place, five points behind Montreal, which holds the eighth and
final playoff spot.
Talk about pressure.
So before anyone gets any big ideas, Miller wanted to make one
thing clear on what type of boost he can provide his team: Hold off
on the savior talk.
"I'm a goalie. I go out and try to stop the puck," Miller
said. "If I can help make a difference, I want to do it. But by no
means a guarantee, by no means a savior."
It just seems that way because the Sabres haven't been the same
without Miller. Buffalo barely avoided falling further out of
contention before overcoming a two-goal third period deficit to
pull out a 5-3 win over Florida on Wednesday.
There's suddenly hope that the dramatic victory coupled with
Miller's return could provide Buffalo the spark it needs to make
one final push and avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight
season.
"Any time you get your No. 1 goaltender back, that's a big
deal," coach Lindy Ruff said. "We know we have to put a string of
games together. That's obvious. You'd like to do that with your
best goalie in the net, the guy that's got the best record. There's
no reason our guys shouldn't even play harder in front of Ryan
now."
Miller began skating on his own last week, and has spent the
past four days testing his ankle in full practice. Though he's
still experiencing some soreness, Miller said it shouldn't affect
his performance.
"The last few days it's just been learning how to play with it
and put it out of your mind," he said. "If this is as good as
it's going to feel for a while, you might as well get out and
compete and battle and do everything I need to do to stop the
puck."
Another concern is Miller's stamina. After hosting Toronto,
Buffalo travels to play at Montreal on Saturday to open a
three-game road swing.
"We'll see," said Miller, who wore down while making 34
consecutive starts last season, but has yet to appear in 10
straight games this year. "We still have to evaluate it daily. I
just want to get back in there and see how it goes."
Miller was enjoying a solid year before he was hurt, landing
awkwardly into the end boards after being upended by New York
Rangers forward Scott Gomez in the third period of Buffalo's 4-2
win on Feb. 21. With a 29-16-5 record, Miller still ranks 10th in
victories and in a tie for eighth with a career-best five shutouts.
Just as important, Miller has a commanding presence on the ice
and in the locker room, providing leadership to a team that's
lacked focus and consistency over the past month. The Sabres blew a
two-goal third-period lead in a 4-3 shootout loss to Atlanta on
March 14, and followed that up by squandering a 2-0 lead in a 4-2
loss to Ottawa a day later.
Miller was upbeat, particularly after what he saw from the
Sabres in rallying back to beat Florida.
"We do have a great shot to make a run. Hopefully, we gained
some confidence last night," Miller said. "But I think everybody
needs to draw something from themselves at this time of year. If I
can be that added bump, that's great."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)