Any doubts about that were squashed just hours after Biron left town.

"The statement now is, "It's Ryan's team,' " Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We need him more now than we've probably needed him all year to stand up for the team."

The on-ice implications of the Biron trade and Ruff's statement are fine by Miller. As he prepared for tonight's game against Montreal in HSBC Arena, he was passionate about finally getting to be the No. 1 goalie without a 1A or 1B beside him.

"It's an opportunity for me to just take the helm and go with it," Miller said Thursday. "To be kind of given the reins here, it feels good."

Miller's biggest balancing act now is to be the man while still being one of the guys. The 26-year-old is very sincere about having a leadership role, an obligation that comes with being a goaltender. He knows the Sabres look to him on the ice, that they need to see someone who's calm when the atmosphere is turbulent. He cares deeply about showing he can handle this latest twist in the team dynamic.

"I live and die by how I interact with my team," Miller said. "Part of my strength as a goaltender is my ability to work with my team, interact with my team, have trust in my team. I think we've worked hard and I've worked hard to gain that, and that's the way I approach it.

"I don't really think of it as, "I have to stand on my head every night.' It's how I interact, how we play as a team and how I can contribute. If I can pull off a few more saves in a night, that's great. But I expect a lot of myself anyways, and I'm not going to changemy approach whether Marty's here or not."

Miller has earned the right to own the net. The Sabres trust the All-Star goalie with no reservations. He showed immediately he may perform even better without the safety net that Biron and, to a lesser extent, Mika Noronen provided. Miller stonewalled Toronto on Tuesday, stopping 23 shots in the first 36 minutes of a 6-1 win.

"I felt like, especially on trade day, it was important for me to step up and show the guys I was ready to go," Miller said. "I felt good in Toronto, and that's kind of how it has to be from here on out. It helps add to my focus."

That doesn't mean he's happy to have Biron gone. The two developed a lasting relationship, and he'll miss the everyday banter.

Miller also discovered that having Biron around kept Brian Campbell occupied. With Biron in Philadelphia, Campbell had to find a different goalie to antagonize. The Sabres defenseman skipped new arrival Ty Conklin and went right after Miller.

"You know what's funny?" Miller said. "Brian Campbell, the first thing he did was start kind of verbally abusing me a little more. He and Marty always go at it. I kind of laughed. I'm getting pucks shot at my feet, he's talking about my hair. It was the day after Marty got traded. I'm like, "Man, Soupy needs to find some other ways to vent because I'm not going to take the brunt of it.' "

But Miller is going to take on a larger role. He's prepared.

"I've been stopping pucks all year, man," he said. "Whether it's me and Marty or it's me and Ty, it's the same responsibilities for the goaltenders on the team."

e-mail: jvogl@buffnews.com