"Patrick Kaleta was back but Thomas Vanek was out for the Buffalo Sabres as they fell in a shootout to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1, on Saturday night in HSBC Arena.

Kaleta returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game against Toronto due to the vicious check he took from Jarkko Ruutu on Wednesday in Ottawa. Vanek, who scored the final goal in Friday's 5-2 victory, sat out with an abdominal injury.

Coach Lindy Ruff said he hasn't been happy with Vanek's skating in the last couple of games and said the winger "hasn't been himself."

Ruff had a long meeting with Vanek on Saturday morning to discuss the situation, which has developed since Vanek took a shot from Tyler Myers to the midsection during a game earlier in the week.

"He can't play like that. He just can't," Ruff said. "And I told him, "If you're hurting that bad, you may have to come out of the lineup. You're going to have to let me know.' If you can't skate, you can't play in this game. That's just what it is. He's trying to suck it up and play. But I'm just telling him you can't play like that and be effective."

Vanek skated briefly Saturday morning but the decision was made to scratch him.

"Half-speed against the Penguins would be no good," Ruff said. "We'll get him healthy, get him ready. It could be Monday [at Toronto]. It could be Wednesday [at Washington]. It might be afterward. It's just got to work its way out."

Kaleta, meanwhile, made a quick recovery from the tough hit in Ottawa. He said he had no concussion symptoms and was simply dealing with neck issues, as he dealt with last year when he missed 20 games.

"I prepared myself this summer pretty well that if something like this occurred that I'd be more prepared for it and I'd be stronger," Kaleta said. "I did a good job in the summer of doing that. Obviously some things I can't control. I still feel some stiffness but that's nothing new. I feel stiffness every single day."

A diplomatic Kaleta said he wasn't concerned there was no suspension for Ruutu."