Lindy Ruff gave Thomas Vanek a break from practice on Tuesday, giving Vanek two days off in a

row. Ruff said Vanek was suffering from some undisclosed, nagging injury. They both called it

a "maintenance" day.

Well, if this is what happens when a Sabre goes in for maintenance, we should all line up

outside HSBC Arena for some minor rehab. I'm thinking of bringing my car in for a quick look.

And seeing how we've had a nice break in the weather, maybe the trainers could do some

maintenance on my golf swing.

Vanek scored his team-leading 20th goal midway through the second period to snap a 3-3 tie

Wednesday night and lead the Sabres to their third straight victory, a 5-3 win over the Dallas

Stars at HSBC Arena.

It was one of the nights when you wonder why Vanek didn't get a hat trick. He actually

scored twice. But his first-period blast, which bounced off goalie Marty Turco and into the

net, was waved off because of an interference call on Tyler Myers.

Vanek, whose play has been indifferent at times and unlucky at others, looked up at the

ceiling in dismay after the play. "Goals are tough to come by," he said. "You finally get one

and it gets called back. It's frustrating."

It's been that sort of year for Vanek. He hasn't had a two-goal game since Oct. 13. He has

scored in consecutive games just once all season. A year ago, he led the NHL in power-play

goals with 20. He has eight this season for a power play that is one for its last 34.

The Sabres have been winning, though. Ryan Miller's play has covered up a lot of problems.

Miller has become a national hero since his Olympic heroics. The bigger he gets, the easier it

is for Vanek to hide behind him. But the Sabres won't make a deep Stanley Cup run if their

most gifted scorer isn't producing.

"It's been a tough year," Vanek said. "I feel I have been around the net a lot. In the

past, I've gotten a lot of tips and rebound goals. This year, it hasn't been there. We're in

the playoff hunt and our goal is to win the division and carry the momentum into the

playoffs."

The question is, will they score when they get there? It's not just Vanek. There's

something to be said for balance, but they're in trouble if they have to rely on Adam Mair,

Mark Mancari and Patrick Kaleta to score in the playoffs.

This game was an encouraging sign. The Sabres had 43 shots, and they carried Miller for

once. Jason Pominville scored his second goal in 11 games. Myers, coming to life after a

rookie lull, had four points. Mancari, on recall because of injuries, set up Vanek for the

game-winner and had the first multipoint game of his NHL career.

Mancari is playing right wing on a line with Vanek and Derek Roy, who seemed elevated by

his presence. Mancari played with the passion of a man who appreciates the privilege of being

an NHL player. He's making a difference.

"I'm obviously ecstatic to play with these guys," Mancari said, "and I'm going to work hard

to stay up here and I hope they're happy to play with me, too."

Vanek, 26, is supposed to be a difference-maker, a player opposing teams fear to play

against. But how often do you get the sense that the other team is tearing its hair out,

trying to contain him? At his salary, Vanek ought to carry the team now and then.

Still, the Dallas game was a reminder of Vanek's vast possibilities. He was moving his feet,

finding open space, battling for position in front of the net, looking like the guy who has

scored 40 goals twice in his career. Now, if only he can do it on a more consistent basis.

Maintain it, if you will.

"I don't know who's going in tomorrow," Ruff said with a smile, "but it looks like

maintenance seems to work."