The Buffalo Sabres have too many defensemen and it's a good problem. Especially when Toni Lydman, the guy probably coming off the best season of any of them, is ready to return after missing 10 games with a groin injury.

But it's not as simple as just plugging Lydman back into the lineup when the Florida Panthers come to HSBC Arena tonight. The Sabres won all three of their games last week without Lydman. They're 12-4-1 and the 32-year-old Finn has played in only four of the 17 games, none since Oct. 21.

Lindy Ruff, like a lot of coaches, can be loathe to change a winning combination. He won't do so tonight because Lydman will be a healthy scratch.

"Toni is as close to ready to play as we're going to get him probably," Ruff said Tuesday after practice.

For his part, Lydman said he knew he was ready to go when he survived the team's hard 50-minute practice Monday in HSBC Arena.

"I've pretty much turned a corner I think," he said. "I skated [Monday] as hard as I've gone the last month. It was a good test and I felt all right out there today too. ... To get through [Monday] was a relief for sure. It's been a long time and it's been frustrating."

Lydman didn't have any idea if he'd get in the lineup, saying only, "I'll probably get my chance."

The Sabres have another stretch of three games in four nights this week (Florida, Boston on Friday and at Ottawa on Saturday) so that works in Lydman's favor. But compounding the problem is Andrej Sekera — the likeliest choice to sit so Lydman can get back in the lineup — is plus-3 and averaging nearly 17 minutes over the last three games.

It's easily been Sekera's best stretch since returning from a rib injury and Ruff was quick to praise him Tuesday.

"He's been physical down low and his play in his own end has been pretty darn good," Ruff said. "That's where it all starts. You play good in your own end, take care of that and on the other end everything else will take care of itself."

Nathan Paetsch is already a healthy scratch on the backline and there's no way Tyler Myers, Henrik Tallinder, Chris Butler, Steve Montador or Craig Rivet are coming out of the lineup.

"You need depth with your defensemen," Ruff said. "Nathan has stepped in and played well. You're going to need seven, eight defensemen. When you're completely healthy, it's a little bit of an issue.

"As soon as you get one or two injuries ... it's desperation time. So we'll find a way to keep everybody happy."

Thanks largely to the stellar goaltending of Ryan Miller, the Sabres entered Tuesday with the fewest goals against in the NHL (37) and a team goals-against average of 2.15 that was second to New Jersey's 2.08.

But the defense has certainly been a factor too and Lydman can help. He was 11th in the league in blocked shots last year (166) and had an even rating while playing 80 of the 82 games. He has no points and is plus-1 this year.

"The team is doing awesome and that's the positive," Lydman said. "But it's certainly not the place you want to be at gametime, watching it from the TV or the press box."