"Every game, often more than once, the glorious scoring opportunity arises. Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek create a two-on-one, or Drew Stafford joins them for an even better odd-man rush.

And every game, often more than once, the chance fades without a goal.

The Buffalo Sabres' most potent scoring line is creating anxious moments for goaltenders on a nightly basis. The goalies, though, get to exhale in relief when no shots come their way. The trio has eight goals this season on, oh, about 200 opportunities.

OK, so it's not that many. But they've come away empty way more than they've celebrated.

"We could have had eight the other night," Roy said Monday in HSBC Arena. "We hit two posts, missed some point-blank opportunities, some two-on-ones. Those we've got to put in the net."

Saturday's 5-0 loss to the New York Islanders was just the latest example of the Roy line storming in and peacefully going away. They took 12 shots, half of which were wide or blocked. Once, Vanek hit the skate of defenseman Radek Martinek instead of an open net."