Sabres at Canadiens
THE STORY: The Buffalo Sabres will be without starting netminder Ryan Miller when they face the division-rival Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Monday. Miller was diagnosed with a concussion after being leveled by Boston's Milan Lucic in a one-sided loss to the Bruins over the weekend. Miller ripped into Lucic after the game, unleashing an expletive-filled rant and referring to the Boston forward as "gutless." Backup Jhonas Enroth will get the start Monday, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for Sabres fans. The diminutive 23-year-old has actually outplayed Miller, going 5-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average. He'll face a Canadiens club coming off consecutive one-goal road victories in Phoenix and Nashville, a mini-streak that has Montreal back at .500.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Versus, RDS
ABOUT THE SABRES (10-6-0): As tasty as the sound bites were from Miller's post-game diatribe, the most resonating quote may have come from Sabres forward Paul Gaustad, who lamented the fact that he his teammates did nothing after Miller was hit. "I'm embarrassed that we didn't respond the way we should have," he said. Lucic may not have faced any retribution Saturday, but he'll be a man with a target on his back when the clubs renew acquaintances Nov. 23 in Buffalo.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (7-7-1): The Sabres aren't the only team with a capable backup. Peter Budaj has been a revelation for Montreal as the second-stringer behind Carey Price. Though he's only made two appearances, the 29-year-old Czech Republic native has posted a minuscule 1.48 GAA and a .947 save percentage. If Price runs cold or is injured for any length of time, Budaj has shown he can keep the club in games.
OVERTIME:
1. Buffalo called up Drew MacIntyre from Rochester of the American Hockey League to back up Enroth. The 28-year-old was 3-4-1 with a 2.76 GAA in the AHL.
2. Price, the Canadiens' Monday starter, is 8-6-5 with a 1.96 GAA in 19 career starts against Buffalo.
3. Buffalo earned a 3-1 victory in the previous meeting Oct. 18. The Sabres have won the last four meetings overall, with the previous three coming in Montreal.