"Lindy Ruff said it again Thursday. At some point, the goals are going to start going in for the Buffalo Sabres.

The red light had better start shining if the team wants to avoid some dubious history.

The season of misses is sliding toward becoming the worst in the Sabres' 41 years of existence. The 2002-03 squad set the record low of 190 goals, the only time Buffalo has scored fewer than 200 in a full season. Through 51 games, this year's edition is on pace for 191.

Making things worse, the Sabres have managed to fall off that lowly rate of 2.33 goals per game for nearly three months. Since the infamous turning point of the season in Boston on Nov. 12, Buffalo is averaging only 2.03 goals per game. They've scored two or fewer in 15 of the last 19 outings.

It could be history in the making.

"Like I've said, it'll get going," Ruff said. "At some point those will start going in. You don't always miss and you don't always hit somebody."

They did a lot of both during the latest loss. They plunked posts and crossbars, plus the pads, glove and mask of goalie Henrik Lundqvist during Wednesday's 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Rangers. The shutout, the Sabres' second in seven games, dropped them to 27th in the NHL in scoring."