Ryan Miller will join the Buffalo Sabres for their two-game weekend road trip, but it's uncertain whether the starting goaltender will be healthy enough to play as the team continues its bid to secure a playoff spot.
Coach Lindy Ruff said Miller was ''doing OK,'' and continued referring to his status as day to day after Miller missed practice Friday while recovering from what the team calls an upper body injury. As for whether Miller will have a chance to play this weekend, Ruff said it'll depend on how the players feels.
Miller has not been seen with the team since a 4-3 loss at Toronto on Tuesday night. He then missed a scheduled start the following day, in which Jhonas Enroth stopped 23 shots in leading Buffalo to a 1-0 win over the New York Rangers.
If Miller's unavailable, Enroth is expected to continue starting as the seventh-place Sabres play at Washington on Saturday and at Carolina on Sunday. They open the weekend swing with five games left and three points ahead of ninth-place Carolina.
Ruff expressed relief that Miller's injury is short term.
''That's the positive thing that we're not looking at anything long term here,'' Ruff said.
Ruff declined to say whether Miller has any doctor appointments scheduled, and declined to say whether Miller has been tested for a concussion.
The Sabres have been tightlipped about Miller's injury, except to say that it was partially the result of Dion Phaneuf's hard shot that struck Miller high on the chest in the third period against Toronto. Miller was shaken up, but continued playing after being checked out by a trainer.
Miller was also struck in the mask by a shot from Brian Rolston in a 2-0 win over New Jersey on Saturday.
Ruff ruled out forward Jochen Hecht from playing this weekend, while forward Mike Grier is doubtful. Hecht has been bothered by a nagging upper body injury that's forced him to miss 10 of the past 14 games. Grier was limited in practice Friday and has missed the past two games with a knee injury.
