Ruff misses Sabres practice

BUFFALO (WIVB) - Lindy Ruff stayed home on Tuesday, while his Sabres team practiced at the First Niagara Center.  The Buffalo coach continued to rest his three broken ribs while his team worked out under the eyes of Assistant Coach James Patrick.  Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier says Ruff is "day-to-day" and his status for Wednesday's game against Boston is still undetermined.

If Ruff can't be behind the bench, Patrick will run the team.  There is a chance that Ruff will be in the Arena, but not on the bench.  Regier is concerned about Ruff's ability to move behind the bench, or move out of the way of an errant puck.  Regier even joked that Ruff would not be able to yell like he normally does.

The Buffalo coaching staff, led by Patrick, held a conference call with Lindy before Tuesday's workout.  They were expected to meet with him at Ruff's home later, to go over the gameplan for the Bruins contest.

After Ruff was hit from behind by Jordan Leopold at Monday's practice, he was taken to Buffalo General Hospital and spent most of the day there before returning home.  He told Regier Tuesday that he got only four hours of sleep, and was in a lot of pain.

The Sabres players said they missed him at the practice, but they all have faith in Patrick to keep the team going in the right direction for the Bruins game.