Christian Ehrhoff, who is ready to play his first game of 2012, wants to bring more than his hockey skills to the Buffalo Sabres tonight. He plans to bring a dose of Daniel Tosh or Chris Rock.

He feels the Sabres could use a laugh.

Ehrhoff, who has been out since suffering an upper-body injury against Washington on Dec. 30, will be on the blue line tonight against the New Jersey Devils in Prudential Center.

While the defenseman was sidelined, the Sabres went just 2-7-2, part of a disheartening stretch that has seen Buffalo win just three times in 17 games.

"It was pretty tough to watch and see the guys being down," Ehrhoff said after practice in Northtown Center at Amherst. "Everybody really cares, so it has been tough to be around and not being able to really help. I'll try to maybe throw a joke out or something to get guys going, try to get the confidence level up again."

Ehrhoff, signed to bolster the team's offense, has one goal and two assists in his last 11 games. His shot is his biggest weapon, and he hopes the Sabres can find a lane for him to use it against the Devils. He doesn't expect to have any limitations in his first game back.

"I'm happy to get back, and hopefully we can get out of this hole and get a win," Ehrhoff said. "Just bring some confidence and some fun. It's been a tough few weeks for the guys that have been playing, and I'll just try to come in and bring a little excitement and try to give them some confidence."

He is the only player ready to return.

Center Paul Gaustad (upper body) skipped practice Monday along with defenseman T.J. Brennan, who may have a concussion. Left wing Tyler Ennis (ankle) and defenseman Robyn Regehr (upper body) skated but won't play until at least next Tuesday when Buffalo visits Montreal in the first game after the All-Star break.

Forward Brad Boyes missed practice with the flu but could be ready for tonight.

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The Sabres are aware folks are calling on the organization to trade players, fire coach Lindy Ruff and/or let go of General Manager Darcy Regier.

Captain Jason Pominville again came out in support of none of the above.

"We have full confidence in the guys that are in place, full confidence in the guys that are in the locker room," Pominville said. "Our focus is on Lindy to be there. We want to win with him. We want to win with Darcy. We've been a part of this for a long time. It's no different for them. We're all in this together.

"It's not fun, but at the same time we all want to win. We all want to get back on track together."

Pominville will represent the team in the All-Star Game on Sunday, while rookie Luke Adam, who was named a rookie all-star, will participate in the skills challenge the night before.

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The Sabres will play their sixth straight road game, but after a weeklong trip they finally had about 36 hours to get settled at home.

It wasn't long enough to forget about the troubles away from Buffalo, namely the team's 12-game losing streak.

"We still have a little bit of sting from the road trip," right wing Drew Stafford said. "It's hard not to with the magnitude of that."

Stafford understands the pain being felt throughout Sabreland.

"We're living through it," he said. "We're the ones on the ice. We're responsible for the outcome of the games. There's not much else to say. It's been like this for a while. You have to answer for it. That's part of the job, having to continue answering the questions, answer why. It's hard."

eos email: jvogl@buffnews.com

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