"The Buffalo Sabres have struggled on faceoffs since Paul Gaustad went down with a knee injury. Now they have another problem in the circle: Is center Tim Connolly injured and unable to take draws or just in such a complete slump with them that the Sabres need to look elsewhere?

Connolly has taken only four draws over the last four games — none in Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers. Wingers Drew Stafford and Clark MacArthur are taking all the draws on that line.

"Me and Clarkie are stepping in on them. I don't know," Stafford said, making a palms-up gesture when asked after Saturday's game. "I'm still kind of learning. I'm trying to use a little bit of my strength. I got lucky on a couple but I'm trying to practice and get better."

Stafford has won 20 of 36 draws the last four games while MacArthur has won 14 of 27 so they're both over 50 percent. Connolly, by comparison, has won just 41.2 percent this year.

Connolly, who has gone four games without a point, has averaged more than 17 minutes per game in the last three, hardly a number for a player dealing with an injury. Coach Lindy Ruff pointedly said, "He's not hurt," when asked last week if Connolly was masking some sort of arm or wrist injury that would hamper him.

Ruff went on to explain that the right-handed Connolly has an option to step out of the faceoff if he wants, especially if a left-hander would have a better chance at the draw. Asked again after Saturday's game, Ruff was not nearly as emphatic.

"Is he able to?" Ruff said, repeating a question of whether Connolly can physically take draws. "Sometimes."

Ruff said he anticipates Stafford and MacArthur to continue to fill in for Connolly and for Mike Grier to step in at times for Tim Kennedy, a converted winger who was 0 for 8 in the first two periods Saturday.

Gaustad entered Sunday leading the league at 63.6 percent — and the rest of the team is at just 46.5. Overall, the Sabres have slipped to 13th in the league at 50.2 percent.

Said Ruff: "The absence of a key faceoff guy is a deficit for us.""