Miller's left ankle injury

Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller has begun skating on his own to test his injured left ankle and is confident he is on his way to return to the lineup before the end of the season.He said that he still felt uncomfortable when he was skating, but he did not experience any frustration during his rehabilitation."I fully expect to play. That's what's in my head," said Miller, who has worked out on his own the past two days. "Without any setbacks, it's very likely we're not going to have any problems."

Miller has missed nine games since being hurt in the third period of the game on Feb. 21,coach Lindy Ruff said he couldn't even guess when Miller might return, still he added: "We want him to keep progressing, and I hope to get him sooner than later."