After sitting out 15 times in a 16-game stretch, Andrej Sekera has returned to the Buffalo Sabres' lineup and has goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Still, the defenseman's overall report card is a mixed bag. He's been burned for key goals by the opposition in both contests, including the tying goal in the Carolina Hurricanes' 4-3 win Friday night in HSBC Arena.

"I'm an offensive defenseman and I know I have to work on my defensive stuff," Sekera said. "I made a couple mistakes and it's cost us some goals. I just have to keep working on it in practice. I don't want to be a one-dimensional type of player. I want to be good overall."

Sekera's snap shot at 18:35 of the first period got Buffalo even at 1-1 and he joined

Thomas Vanek in assisting on Drew Stafford's pair of third-period tallies.

But he failed to do his job with the Sabres nursing a 3-2 lead in the third. Matt Cullen

outworked Sekera and Chris Butler behind the net and Tom Kostopoulous eventually outworked Tim Kennedy in front for the tying goal with 11:37 to go.

"I was going for the puck," Sekera said. "I just should have thrown it up the wall but I

think I hung on too much and the guy jumped on me. In that moment, you think you made a mistake but there's the next shift and you have to forget about it."

Coach Lindy Ruff acknowledged the dilemma Sekera is causing. Not knowing how well Sekera would play was one reason the Sabres dressed seven defensemen in the game.

"The defensive side has been tough, the offensive side has been good," Ruff said of Sekera. "He made the initial mistake again of hanging on to the puck rather than moving it.

"When you're put back into the lineup, you can't afford to make those mistakes. The

offensive side, he's done some good things with the puck. But when a defenseman plays, he's got to be able to play solid first in his own end."

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As part of the seven-man grouping on defense, Steve Montador moved up to play right wing on the fourth line with Kennedy and Adam Mair. Scratched Friday were Matt Ellis, Nathan Paetsch and the injured Patrick Kaleta.

"[Montador] has played some forward and we used him a couple shifts," Ruff said. "Then the forwards weren't going real well so I went down to three lines. I was just trying to jump start the team."

The fourth line gave up two goals Wednesday and was burned for the Canes' first goal, by defenseman Aaron Ward. After that, not much ice time Friday. Montador played just 6:56 in the game, Adam Mair played just 2:14 and Kennedy was at 8:23. Kennedy is minus-5 with no shots on goal in the last two games.

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Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward - who had started the last 24 games - returned to Raleigh with what the team termed an upper-body injury and did not dress. Manny Legace played in his place.

It's believed Ward tweaked a lingering back injury on the team's long flight here from

Calgary. Ward had a 2.02 goals- against average and .936 save percentage in January as the Hurricanes posted a 9-5 record.

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Ruff on the New Jersey Devils' acquisition of sniper Ilya Kovalchuk from Atlanta: "They're getting a gifted goal scorer. They talked a little bit how they were hurting for goals and they went and got the biggest fish in the pond.

"When you realize you're having a tough time scoring goals, I don't think the adjustment [of playing with defensive-minded coach Jacques Lemaire] will be that big. With [Patrik] Elias out of the lineup ... that could make them pretty dangerous when you put a Kovalchuk in."

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--Patrick Lalime, expected to start in goal for the Sabres tonight, is looking for his

200th career win. He has not started in eight games, since giving up four first-period goals and getting yanked Jan. 19 in Anaheim.

--The NHL sent technicians into the building Thursday to fix the HD overhead camera that was inoperative Wednesday night and could have given a view of a potential first goal in the game against Ottawa.

--TV analyst Mike Robitaille is going to be off the air until after the Olympic break after

being involved in what the team termed a "minor" car accident on Wednesday. Rob Ray is taking over Robitaille's duties.