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.

The line of Vanek with center Tim Connolly and right wing Drew Stafford was the only one

Ruff kept intact when the coach started his in-game line juggling.

"They made some nice plays," Ruff said. "The Stafford goal was a good one. They had three

or four other opportunities, which is as dangerous as that line has looked. A couple times

away from the puck were tough reads, but other than that it wasn't a bad night."

Vanek feels the trio, which has been together for four games, is starting to find

chemistry.

"We created some chances [Wednesday] night, so from that standpoint I think all three of us

are playing better," Vanek said. "We've just got to put our chances away.

"For myself, I think I created a little bit more for those two, and I got open and got the

puck in good spots. The next part is to start putting them away and start scoring a little bit

more."

That would be welcomed and expected. Vanek has scored just three times in 12 games since

returning from injury, which he revealed Thursday was a shoulder ailment. He has six goals

this season, putting him on pace for 30 after averaging 40 the past three years.

Rediscovering that "wow" factor through skating and moving could help bring back the old

Vanek.

"There was [instances he wasn't moving], no doubt," Ruff said. "We're not going to try to

run from that. We've dealt with that over the years that sometimes if you're just standing and

reading you get run over by the traffic coming from behind.

"First and foremost, you've got to get up and go. If you're standing there looking for that

hole, it isn't going to be there. If you're moving looking for that hole, you should be able

to find it."