Patrick Lalime's first and last victories connect nicely. Both involved midgame appearances

and comeback wins, made possible when the goaltender came off the bench and allowed his team

to rally.

No one is sure what Lalime's next win will look like. The only sure thing is it will be a

milestone.

Lalime will start one of the Buffalo Sabres' back-to-back games this weekend, and a third

straight victory will give him 200 for his career. Only 65 netminders have reached that total

in NHL history.

"It would be nice," Lalime said Thursday. "It means you've played for a while. You want to

have a winning record if you can. When you win as a goalie, the best thing is the team wins.

That's why it's always a nice accomplishment."

The Sabres host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight and welcome the Colorado Avalanche to HSBC

Arena on Saturday. Ryan Miller is expected to start tonight since he's 4-0 against the Leafs

this season with a 1.47 goals-against average and .960 save percentage. That would leave

Lalime for the Avs, though history shows he should stay ready.

The first time Lalime stood in the crease and accepted congratulatory pats on the head came

with Pittsburgh on Dec. 6, 1996. He entered at the start of the second period with Washington

holding a 2-0 lead and stopped 16 of 17 shots to spark a 5-3 comeback win.

He earned No. 199 last week against the Penguins. He entered near the start of the second

with Buffalo in a 3-0 hole and stopped all 27 shots in a 4-3 victory.

It extended his run of fine outings to four straight. He is 3-0-1 with a 1.34 GAA and .960

save percentage since a two-game conditioning assignment in Portland last month.

"If you just look at his last starts and even the game he just stepped in for Ryan, he's

given our team a lot of confidence," coach Lindy Ruff said. "Everybody on the team is happy

for him. He's such a good guy, but to be able to step in and win games and help us dig one out

of a pretty big hole was important for us."

Lalime's record is 199-163 with 40 ties and 15 overtime or shootout losses. He was 14-0-2

in his first 16 decisions, setting the record for longest unbeaten streak to start a career.

"My first year with Pittsburgh was a pretty good run, so it was a lot of fun," the

35-year-old said. "But it's been a great time everywhere I've been. I've really enjoyed it.

"When you win, everybody's happy. You come to the rink, there's a good ambience, there's a

good atmosphere. It's the same for myself. Whenever you play, you want to play good. You want

to be part of this team. You want to make a difference when you have to. That's what I just

try to do."

He's done it recently by gaining confidence in Portland and practicing late with Buffalo.

Lalime lingers on the ice with goalie coach Jim Corsi and takes shots from players trying to

refine their game.

"He's out there every day working on different things," forward Adam Mair said. "You love

seeing a guy like that do well because he's such a great team guy. He's out there taking shots

off the face and shots off the neck for guys who are trying to improve."

Ruff has liked Lalime's aggressive approach to games, the way he has challenged shooters

and situations. The goalie is sure to aggressively approach the milestone.

"We play this game to win," Lalime said. "Winning is the bottom line."

. . .

The Sabres' only injured player, Patrick Kaleta, is nearly recovered. That doesn't mean

he'll face Toronto. Ruff said that while he'll look for an opportunity to reinsert the right

winger, it's tough to tinker with a roster that has won five games in a row.

"Pat's doing a lot better, got a full practice in [Thursday], so he's on his road to

recovery," Ruff said. "Lineup changes now, with the way we've been going, is tough.

"If you work hard and you win games, it's tough to take people in and out. I think you look

for the opportunity to get somebody in. He's really only had one hard practice, so I think in

Pat's case a couple days of skating will be good for him. It would probably be even better."

Kaleta has played only two of the past 10 games. He's missed four straight with a leg

injury and missed the others with head and neck trauma.

. . .

The Sabres had five players score during Wednesday's 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay. That's a

continuation of the team's goal balance. It has four players tied for the lead at 11 goals

(Tim Connolly, Clarke MacArthur, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek), with no one ranking in

the top 73 in the NHL.

Ruff likes the balance but would love a hot streak.

"I would be tickled pink if somebody just got on fire and scored 10 in 10 games," said

Ruff, who believes Vanek is close. "I'm confident it's coming. He's easily discouraged at

times. I think you can see it in his mannerism. My job is to try and keep his confidence up,

try and keep his emotions in check because he gets fairly frustrated through these stretches."