"Thomas Vanek doesn't look quite right.

Never an NHL speedster, the burst he had seems to have lessened. The "wow" moments have tailed off. His goal total has, too. The Buffalo Sabres' perennial leader is tied atop the team's chart, but he's well behind the pace of his usual 40.

So a big question heading into tonight's visit by the Boston Bruins to HSBC Arena is what's up with Vanek? Is he hurt?

"I'm OK," he said Thursday. "I'm all good."

Is he moving his feet enough (which translated from hockey talk means is he skating hard and staying with the game action)?

"You try to work hard in practice every day, which I think I've been doing pretty good this year, and hopefully it carries over [to the games]," Vanek said. "Overall, I'm just trying to work hard, and that's it."

So, at the moment, there are no easy answers. He says he's healthy, and he says he's working. Still, he looks a bit off.

"Thomas on occasions has looked real good, and on occasions I think he is a guy that sometimes has opted for different types of plays," coach Lindy Ruff said after practice in Amherst Pepsi Center. "The last couple of games, I think he's got his feet moving better. It's just some of his decisions with the puck haven't been real good."

Though Vanek isn't playing like the franchise player people expect, he is on his best offensive run of the season. He has points in four straight games with a goal and four assists.

He had head-scratching moments during Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Florida, but he also was active in the offensive zone. He took three shots, had three get blocked or go wide, and finished with two assists."