Lindy Ruff was breathing a little bit easier after Saturday's optional morning skate. The Buffalo Sabres' coach didn't have captain Craig Rivet or center Paul Gaustad in the lineup for the game against the Carolina Hurricanes — a 5-1 Sabres victory — but got some pretty good news on both players, who had seemingly suffered serious injuries Friday in Philadelphia.

Rivet, who has knee and ankle issues, actually skated for about 15 minutes Saturday morning

while Ruff said Gaustad will be out in "the couple weeks range" with a knee injury.

"On the whole, we're obviously pleased," Ruff said. "You're not pleased that we've got guys

injured but pleased with the fact Rivet's isn't near as serious as we thought. Gaustad's is

[more] serious but you've just got to get through it."

Gaustad was injured while trying to check defenseman Braydon Coburn behind the Flyers' net.

Gaustad missed most of the check and went into the end boards with his knee in the second

period.

Rivet left in the third period as he went feet-first into the boards after Flyers forward

Arron Asham put his stick between Rivet's legs as Rivet was sliding to the ice.

"He's doing better," Ruff said. "He's pretty sore but the good news on him is that it isn't

as bad as first indications looked like."

Rivet headed immediately into treatment with the team's medical staff after his stint on

the ice and was not available for comment. Because he did not skate, Gaustad was also

unavailable.

Gaustad is having one of the best seasons of his career with six goals, which is two off

the team lead, and a faceoff percentage of nearly 64 percent that's second in the NHL. Gaustad

is also a linchpin on the power play, often parking himself at the edge of the opponent's

crease.

"It's a loss," Ruff said. "He was our best faceoff guy and is in front of the net on the

power play. We'll just have to stick somebody in and somebody else is going to have to step it

up.

"Some games, his will has been something that's outshone a lot of the other players. From a

physical front, and from just taking the faceoff reins and kind of running with it, pushing

the other centermen to be better, which has been a big part of our game."

. . .

Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta was hit with a two-game suspension Saturday for his major

penalty for boarding against Philadelphia's Jared Ross in the first period Friday.

Kaleta loses $5,414.50 in salary, which goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Kaleta missed Saturday's game and will also sit out Monday in Toronto. He will be eligible to

return Thursday against Montreal.

"I was surprised. Yeah," said Ruff. "After the Ovechkin hit, for me in my eyes, that's two

games for both players. So I was surprised."

Washington's Alexander Ovechkin was ejected, but not suspended, for boarding Kaleta on

Wednesday.

Even with Rivet, Gaustad and Kaleta out, the Sabres opted against calling up reinforcements

from Portland. Instead, Matt Ellis and Nathan Paetsch went back into the lineup at forward and

Andrej Sekera took a regular spot on defense.

. . .

The Hurricanes came to town languishing in last place overall in the NHL and coming off a

grievous, 6-4 home loss Friday night against Atlanta. The 'Canes blew a 4-1 lead by giving up

five third-period goals — the same amount they surrendered Saturday. Former Sabre Maxim

Afinogenov scored the tying goal for the Thrashers, his 10th of the season. He had just 10 and

six goals, respectively, here the last two seasons.

Said Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice on Friday's collapse: "Maybe they felt that was a nice,

comfortable game. They were getting lots of chances — working hard but getting lots of

chances — and then decided that the back-half of the game wasn't too important to them

in the third."

. . .

As you would expect for a team carrying a 5-16-5 record, the Hurricanes own some hideous

plus-minus numbers.

Captain Rod Brind'Amour is the biggest offender, with just two goals for the season and a

minus-17 rating. Veteran defenseman Aaron Ward is at minus-14 and forwards Sergei Samsonov and

Chad LaRose are at minus-12 and minus-10, respectively.

Excluding shootout goals, the Canes have been outscored, 88-53, in those 26 games. That

includes a 35-19 edge for 'Canes opponents in the third period.

. . .

Saturday's game marked the end of the Sabres' five-week run of Wednesday-Friday-Saturday

scheduling. The Sabres close their November schedule Monday in Toronto and get a busy December

slate going here Thursday against Montreal. That opens a five-game homestand and a stretch of

15 games in 27 days.