"Sabres winger Thomas Vanek could be back in the lineup this weekend after making drastic improvement Wednesday with an upper-body injury that initially was expected to sideline him for several weeks.

Coach Lindy Ruff wasn't getting his hopes too high about his top goal scorer being available against the New York Islanders on Friday night but hinted that the veteran winger could be ready for the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday. Both games will be played at HSBC Arena.

"Actually, it's good news," Ruff said after practice Wednesday. "He's doing remarkably well, which is good. I don't think it will be a very long period of time. I wouldn't even rule him out maybe for a game on the weekend for as well as he's doing."

Vanek was injured Tuesday in the second period of the Sabres' 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He played through the injury long enough to score his second goal but was shown wincing along the bench. He apparently woke up Wednesday morning feeling much better than the previous night but missed practice.

"Initially, they thought he would feel a lot worse," Ruff said. "He's feeling a lot better, which is really encouraging.""