The Buffalo Sabres have struggled on faceoffs since Paul Gaustad went down with a knee injury. Now they have another problem in the circle: Is center Tim Connolly injured and unable to take draws or just in such a complete slump with them that the Sabres need to look elsewhere?

Connolly has taken only four draws over the last four games — none in Saturday's loss

to the New York Rangers. Wingers Drew Stafford and Clark MacArthur are taking all the draws on

that line.

"Me and Clarkie are stepping in on them. I don't know," Stafford said, making a palms-up

gesture when asked after Saturday's game. "I'm still kind of learning. I'm trying to use a

little bit of my strength. I got lucky on a couple but I'm trying to practice and get better."

Stafford has won 20 of 36 draws the last four games while MacArthur has won 14 of 27 so

they're both over 50 percent. Connolly, by comparison, has won just 41.2 percent this year.

Connolly, who has gone four games without a point, has averaged more than 17 minutes per

game in the last three, hardly a number for a player dealing with an injury. Coach Lindy Ruff

pointedly said, "He's not hurt," when asked last week if Connolly was masking some sort of arm

or wrist injury that would hamper him.

Ruff went on to explain that the right-handed Connolly has an option to step out of the

faceoff if he wants, especially if a left-hander would have a better chance at the draw. Asked

again after Saturday's game, Ruff was not nearly as emphatic.

"Is he able to?" Ruff said, repeating a question of whether Connolly can physically take

draws. "Sometimes."

Ruff said he anticipates Stafford and MacArthur to continue to fill in for Connolly and for

Mike Grier to step in at times for Tim Kennedy, a converted winger who was 0 for 8 in the

first two periods Saturday.

Gaustad entered Sunday leading the league at 63.6 percent — and the rest of the team

is at just 46.5. Overall, the Sabres have slipped to 13th in the league at 50.2 percent.

Said Ruff: "The absence of a key faceoff guy is a deficit for us."

. . .

The New Jersey Devils hit town tonight 5-1 in their last six games, including a 4-3

shootout win Saturday over Detroit. Goaltender Martin Brodeur improved to 17-7-1 and earned

his 574th career win victory, extending his all-time record. The future Hall of Famerhas a

2.20 goals-against average and .920 save percentage this season.

Brodeur, 37, became the NHL's career leader in minutes played Nov. 27 in Boston and remains

stuck at 102 shutouts, one shy of equaling Terry Sawchuk's all-time record of 103 that has

stood since 1970.

Former Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters has no points and 25 penalty minutes. Peters was a

healthy scratch for Buffalo's 4-1 win Oct. 28 in Newark.

. . .

Patrick Lalime is expected to return to the Sabres today after his weekend conditioning

stint with Portland of the AHL and it's reasonable to think he could get the call in goal

tonight.

Lalime went 0-1-1 in his two games with the Pirates, posting a 2.91 goals-against average

and .914 save percentage. Lalime could start in the rematch with the Rangers on Saturday in

New York. But why send him down for conditioning and then make him sit all week?

Lalime is 0-2 in three games with Buffalo, and has ugly numbers (4.55 GAA, .836 save

percentage).

"We know we're going to need him," Ruff said before Lalime went down. "We know we need to

play him. ... You can say all you want about practice, but to get in and play in game

situations is the best possible thing."