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Lindy Ruff’s goalie juggling is based on history?

Ryan Miller, Lindy Ruff

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, right, talks with coach Lindy Ruff, left, during hockey practice in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, April 12, 2011. The Sabres taken on the Philadelphia Flyers in a first-round NHL playoff series. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

AP

Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth have been having the awkward dance of having Lindy Ruff decide who gets the start on a game-to-game basis. Any other season it would be virtually automatic that Miller would get the start, but this season has seen Miller have a rough start and Enroth has thrived when given the chance.

With a funky stretch of games coming up, Ruff’s rotation appears to based on statistics in how his goalies have matched up in the past against their opponents. Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News breaks down how the Sabres’ rotation plays out this weekend with Enroth getting the start against Ottawa tonight while Miller goes in Boston tomorrow.

While Enroth doesn’t have the extensive history Miller does against these teams, Miller has been bad in his career against Ottawa while Enroth in just a few starts has been lights out. Perhaps Miller is just stuck with flashbacks to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals that saw the Sens roll the Sabres in five games.

For now, Miller will just need to dominate in the starts he does make so he can go back to being the absolute #1 guy. While it’s a great luxury for Buffalo to have Enroth playing so well, Miller going through the motions won’t help the Sabres be a Cup contender.