Showing no ill effects

Anyone who watched Buffalo’s Daniel Briere take a cheap shot from Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin would have wondered just how much time the Sabres’ diminutive captain would miss. I’m glad to report, after three days of Florida-based recuperation, Briere was just fine and dandy Tuesday night.

Briere scored three of the Sabres’ four goals in Buffalo’s victory over the Lightning, earning the game’s No. 1 star. The sizable and extremely vocal contingent of Sabres’ fans even littered the ice with hats after he logged the first hat trick of his career.

Showing no visible effects of the dirty hit, Briere was even willing to talk about it before the game as he signed for hounds and dealers Tuesday in Clearwater Beach.

"It’s just a part of the game," he told us.

On a side note, I found it rather amusing how Briere asked each dealer their names, so he could personalize every 8x10 photo he signed. And, yet, when it came my turn to have him sign the pucks shown above, he didn’t bother to ask. The players, I believe, know the difference between hounds and dealers.