"Ryan Miller felt much better in full equipment Monday, looking the part even when he didn't play the position. The Buffalo Sabres franchise goaltender took the ice for about 30 minutes after his teammates finished a short but crisp workout in preparation for the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in HSBC Arena.

Miller, who put himself through positioning and lateral movement drills without taking any shots, already has been ruled out tonight against the Bolts. In other years, given the current situation, three points ahead of ninth place with three games remaining and no Miller, Sabres Nation would have been pounding the panic button.

Last year: Oh, no.

This year: No problem.

Rookie Jhonas Enroth has been superb under trying circumstances, posting a 2-0-1 record with a 1.93 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in three games en route to being named the NHL's third star for last week. The Sabres, whose 30 points after Feb. 22 lead the league, couldn't have asked for a better stretch from any goaltender.

"These kinds of games are fun to play," Enroth said. "I like to play under pressure. It's a little more fun to play when the games are this important."

Enroth has played so well since Miller suffered the upper-body injury last week that the Sabres haven't missed a step. Enroth will get his fourth straight start tonight -- presumably mask and all -- while Miller takes more time to recover with the Sabres still in command of a playoff spot.

Each of the last three games has been bigger than the previous one with the Sabres clinging to postseason hopes and the regular season winding down. Enroth has kept his cool on the ice, has remained collected after games and shrugged his shoulders when told of the league honor Monday.

The kid remained calm under duress Sunday when a strap from his mask broke in the second period against Carolina. He looked to notify an official while trying to shake his helmet into position. Struck out on both attempts, he flipped his mask on top of the net and robbed Jussi Jokinen in the Sabres' 2-1 overtime victory.

Problem solved.

"That was probably a bad idea," he said. "I guess it worked out OK."

So far, it has worked out better than OK with Enroth babysitting the crease. The Sabres have left fans and media guessing about Miller's injury -- bruised shoulder or collarbone, perhaps? -- and their stance didn't change Monday. Miller planned a more intense workout this morning as the Sabres continued preparations for the Lightning."