"Tim Connolly has missed more than one-third of his team's games. He's averaging nearly a point per game during the ones he's played. When he had the puck Friday night, he got booed by the folks in First Niagara Center.

In other words, not much has changed since Connolly left the Sabres for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer.

The longtime Sabres center skated into Buffalo for the first time since signing a two-year, $9.5 million contract with Toronto. The Leafs backers who constituted the majority of the crowd cheered when Connolly was introduced for the starting lineup, but the Buffalo folks took over with boos the first time Connolly touched the puck 1:12 into the game.

They also booed the second time, the third time, the ...

"That's a sign of a good group of fans," said Connolly, who heard jeers for much of his final season in town.

The 30-year-old isn't sure when he knew his run in Buffalo would end at eight seasons. He is sure of at least one thing.

"I'm certainly happy I ended up in Toronto," he said after skipping the Leafs' optional morning skate.

Connolly failed to record a point Friday night during Toronto's 5-4 loss to the Sabres. He has six goals and 15 points in 19 games.

"It's been a pretty fun transition," Connolly said. "It's a huge hockey town, but people are very respectful. You can just go about your business day to day. It's a great city to play in.""