One night after Patrick Lalime was lit up for six goals by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ryan Miller was back in net in Buffalo's 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Goaltending, though, hasn't been the main culprit in Buffalo's sluggish stretch, in which it has gone 1-3-1 after two straight wins. Instead, the team's lack of consistency, as well its penchant to try to make a highlight-reel play in the offensive zone, is what's becoming troublesome for coach Lindy Ruff.

"We're not there as a team yet," he said. "If you're looking for the pretty play, a lot of time that one ends up going the other way and you give up the opportunity."

Added Jochen Hecht:

"It seems like we're a step late.

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to do things the hard way. Jordan Staal had two goals, including the tiebreaker late in the third period, and the Penguins scored four third-period goals to rally for their sixth straight victory, 5-2 over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Ruslan Fedotenko, Alex Goligoski and Evgeni Malkin also scored to help Pittsburgh win for the sixth time this season when...

Pascal Leclaire and R.J. Umberger made sure the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't cut any corners. Two days after coach Ken Hitchcock called his team out for a lackadaisical effort in a three-goal loss to Phoenix, the Blue Jackets had no such issues in their greatest offensive output of the season, a 6-1 rout of the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

Ryan Miller made 30 saves and Tim Connolly, Adam Mair and Henrik Tallinder each had a goal and an assist in the Buffalo Sabres' 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. Jason Pominville also scored to help the Sabres snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 9-3-3. The Sabres also stopped an eight-game home winless streak against St.

Chuck Kobasew didn't miss a beat. The forward marked his long-awaited return to the Bruins lineup with a goal and an assist, and Manny Fernandez made 32 saves in Boston's 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. The Bruins have won six of seven and four in a row at home and moved into a first-place tie with Buffalo in the Northeast Division with 19 points.

Jason Williams and the Thrashers didn't need a pep talk between the second and third periods. They knew exactly what to do themselves. Williams scored his second goal of the game 48 seconds into overtime, and Bryan Little had two goals and an assist in Atlanta's 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.