Buffalo, NY (WGR550)  -- The Sabres skated Tuesday afternoon at HSBC Arena with a full complement of players back from battling various problems.  Patrick Kaleta was back on his normal wing spot with Matt Ellis and Paul Gaustad after battling the flu.  Gaustad is still dealing with the illness as well.  The forward said his strength is coming back day-by-day and he will be ready to face the Islanders tomorrow night.

Jason Pominville rejoined his teammates on the ice after the birth of his first child.  Toni Lydman skated hard at practice today, paired up with Nathan Paetsch during drills.  The practice focused a lot on the special teams play and tweaking the power play.  Head coach Lindy Ruff thinks "repetition" is the key to keeping a consistent power play unit rolling.  Finishing chances is another aspect to the extra man advantage.  Ruff noted the open net chance Thomas Vanek had Saturday that was foiled by a New York defenseman.

Derek Roy went down with an apparent lower-body injury during 3-on-2 drills, however it wasn't severe enough to keep the forward off the ice for long.  Roy was helped off the ice gingerly by the training staff but returned and did not look to be favoring an injury later during the skate.  Associate coach Brian McCutcheon was also hurt during the workout in a scary scene.  Craig Rivet hit him in the head by a dump in shot while McCutcheon watched the drill develop from the bench.  Ruff said McCutcheon was receiving treatment for the cut, which included stitches to the head.

The Sabres have had three days to prepare for the Islanders since their 5-0 loss on Long Island Saturday.  Ruff thought his team needs to finish more of their chances, because on Saturday his club "had some great opportunities to finish and we didn’t and we gave them some opportunities and they did."  The coach isn't taking this rematch lightly with how well New York is playing right now, adding "they're going well right now, this will be a good test."

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Photo courtesy of The AP.