The Buffalo Sabres' playoff hopes may have taken a hit as their star goaltender Ryan Miller suffered an injury in last night's game against Toronto.
Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier confirmed to local TV station WGRZ Miller would not play Wednesday against the New York Rangers, who are just two points ahead of Buffalo in the Eastern Conference standings.
"Miller is injured. It is not a night off," the Buffalo News reported before Regier confirmed the injury, believed to be "upper body" related.
WGRZ reports that Miller was shaken up during the third period of Tuesday's game against the Leafs. There is no clear timetable for his return; Regier said only that weekend games are a "possibility."
Just last week, Miller was the NHL's first star of the week, with two shutouts, a 3-0 record and 0.67 goals-against average. The former Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goalie has consistently been one of the NHL's most reliable starters and last year he led Team USA to a silver medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Going into Wednesday night's games, the Sabres occupied 8th place in the Eastern Conference standings, though Carolina is only three points back and Toronto is five behind, with only a handful of games remaining. The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.