from Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Overall, Halak is 10-2-3, but he now owns a 2.48 GAA, which ranks 23rd in the NHL, and a .900 save percentage, which is 34th in the league.

The drop-off could have the Blues dealing with an array of thoughts as they prepare for a road matchup with the Buffalo Sabres at 6 tonight at the First Niagara Center.

Have the past three games, which includes a 7-3 win over Colorado, been a hiccup for Halak, or should there be reason to worry about relying on him as the starter on a club with Stanley Cup aspirations?

It all adds up to fascinating intrigue heading into tonight, when Halak goes up against the goalie who was speculated last summer to be his potential successor, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller.

The Sabres sit last in the NHL standings with a record of 5-16-1, but remarkably Miller has a .919 save percentage, good for 28th in the league.

Miller, 33, is in the final year of a five-year, $31.3 million contract with Buffalo, which may be inclined to move the netminder, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Blues are believed to be one of the teams that inquired about Miller last offseason, but it appears that that ship has sailed.

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