Miller Posts Another Shutout

Ryan Miller posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time in his career and became the Sabres' first netminder since Marty Biron in 2003 to accomplish the feat. Who deserves the credit? Miller does, definitely, but his teammates have helped him make it look easy. The Sabres are back to playing Lindy Ruff's style, which calls for scoring first and shutting down the opposition later. Buffalo totally dominated the first period tonight, took a little nap during a stretch of the second but shut down the Devils in the third. Miller looked quiet in net, which is always a good sign. He wasn't caught out of position all night and in making 24 saves. He hasn't allowed a goal in 135 minutes since he had that disastrous start against Tampa Bay last week. With the way the Sabres were playing defense around him, especially in the third period, it seemed he could have played another 10 periods without giving up a goal. OK, so the Devils didn't have all their top guys, including Martin Brodeur. Goaltending was the least of the Devils' problems. Kevin Weekes was fabulous in net. Every team in the league is forced to battle injuries. Not to sound like a homer -- I think you folks know better -- but it's not as if the Sabres have been healthy all year. Paul Gaustad missed the great start. Craig Rivet came back after a five-game absence. Broken Jochen Hecht hasn't played since the second game. It raises an interesting question: What happens when Jochen comes back? It looks like he'll return Friday. Do they play him? Yes, I know, I'm rambling. --- Bucky Gleason Online Surveys & Market ResearchSource