Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Lindy Ruff welcomed Paul Gaustad back to practice. The big centerman missed two games due to a severe flu. Pat Kaleta missed one game and wasn't back today, but Lindy Ruff said Kaleta feels better and should be back tomorrow.
Toni Lydman went full practice. He told me his groin feels better, but didn't want to open it up all the way today. That will happen tomorrow. Ruff said, "I liked him in some of the stuff, but I don't know if he's quite there yet. Even on the sprint work on the one shooting drill, he was pacing himself. So we'll find out tomorrow if he has any problems from today's practice."
Jason Pominville missed practice due to the birth of his first child.
Today was a little ragged to start after having Sunday off. Ruff said, "I think you find that after a day off. It takes awhile to get going and sometimes you feel worse after a day off, but I thought as practice went on, we picked it up."
After scoring 28 goals last season and 32 this year Derek Roy has still not lit the lamp this season. He does have eight assists, but Lindy Ruff wants more, "I like parts of his game, but I don't like the fact that he still hasn't scored. He doesn't like it either, he's had some great opportunities that he hasn't put away. I think he's passed up some opportunities. Even the two on one the other night, you'd like to see him bear down and maybe try to score. He's had several two on ones where he hasn't scored on, so the opportunities he's had inside the game he's got to finish." Roy said, "I'm getting chances and I'm hitting posts and I'm missing some huge opportunities, but at the same time, I've got to score goals to win games and do my job out there, make plays and pass it to Thomas as much as I can, but at the same time, I'm usually scoring goals so I've gotta find that line of when to shoot and when to pass."
For five weeks the Sabres will play Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. That give them Sunday's off and two days of practice. Roy said, "We get a good practice in on Monday, on Tuesday we get ready for the up coming game, then on Thursday we have a light practice to get ready for the weekend. It's not like we're traveling far on Saturday (Boston this week) so it's a quick flight then get right after it so I like the schedule as it is."
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