"There's more to staying in the lineup than knuckles rapping on lumber. Jason Pominville wasn't going to take any chances, though, considering his next game will be his 300th in a row.

"Knock on wood," said the Buffalo Sabres' right winger, who tapped his fist on a wooden bench while discussing his healthy milestone. "I knew it was coming. I wasn't sure when, but now that I've found out, knock on wood."

Pominville will reach the mark tonight when he takes the ice against the Los Angeles Kings in Staples Center. He has dressed for every game the Sabres have played since April 8, 2006, a stretch of 3½ seasons.

"It's been fun," Pominville said. "I've been fortunate to not have any issues with health. Bumps and bruises, obviously there's some along the way, but not enough to keep me out of the lineup. It's definitely exciting to be able to play that many games in a row."

Pominville has absorbed his share of hard hits and shot blocks through the years, but he couldn't recall one instance in which he was so much as a game-time decision.

"Part of it is being lucky," he said. "Sometimes guys will block a shot a certain way, and they end up hurting their foot or something. ... Some guys are unfortunate with some of their injuries, and my side — I'll knock on wood again — I've been able to kind of stay away from that."

Pominville hasn't been injured since breaking his leg in the minor leagues with Rochester during the 2004-05 season. The last game he sat for Buffalo was April 7, 2006, and he was a healthy scratch for the 4-2 loss to Philadelphia.

He came back the next game. And the next. And the next ...

He has a long way to go to set the NHL record, though. How long? Try another eight full seasons. Doug Jarvis, who played for Montreal, Washington and the Hartford Whalers, played 964 straight games from Oct. 8, 1975 to Oct. 10, 1987.

Craig Ramsay holds the Sabres record for consecutive games played with 776 from 1973 to '83."