BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Penguins coach Michel Therrien said yesterday that "there's no doubt" Buffalo is the best team in the Eastern Conference.

No surprise there, considering that the Sabres held a seven-point lead over second-place Atlanta in the conference standings.

There also isn't much question that the Sabres will be among the best-represented teams at the NHL All-Star Game in Dallas later this month.

Although the starting lineups won't be announced until Tuesday, three Sabres -- goalie Ryan Miller, center Daniel Briere and defenseman Brian Campbell -- were among the East's top vote-getters in the most recent round of results.

Of those players, only Briere figured to be in real danger of losing his spot, and the challenge to him was coming from teammate Maxim Afinogenov.

Although Campbell declined to take his place in the game for granted until the final totals are revealed, he said a few hours before Buffalo faced the Penguins at HSBC Arena last night that being chosen "would be a nice little reward, if it does happen, for a lot of hard work."

Miller took an equally pragmatic view on the possibility of being a starter.

"It's something to look back on [someday], but it's not going to help me stop any pucks," he said. "It's nice to have a sense of accomplishment, it's nice to be recognized and it's definitely a confidence-builder, but ultimately, it's how I handle it and how I move forward leading up to the All-Star game and immediately afterward [that matters]."

One last hurdle for Staal

Last night was the Penguins' 39th game of the season, which means rookie Jordan Staal is poised to clear his final hurdle to spending the entire season in the NHL.

All indications are that Staal, who had 11 goals and two assists in 37 appearances before last night, will be around when the Penguins face Tampa Bay tomorrow at 7:38 p.m. at Mellon Arena.

Being on the roster then will earn him an "accrued season" that counts toward the seven he needs to qualify for unrestricted free agency.

Although the Penguins have not formally declared what they plan to do with Staal, Therrien made it clear he wouldn't like -- and doesn't expect -- Staal to give up his place in the NHL.

"I'm planning [on having him] so far," he said. "I haven't been told [anything different]."

Praise for Gonchar

Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar, whose play seemed to slip after partner Mark Eaton got a serious wrist injury Nov. 4, received unsolicited praise from Therrien for his upgraded performance of late.

"We've given him tremendous responsibility," Therrien said. "He's carrying the power play, he's doing a fantastic job with Josef Melichar on penalty-killing and he's playing against top players. He's the type of player who needs to be challenged like that to be on top of his game."

Therrien declined to speculate on why Gonchar sputtered after enjoying an uncharacteristically strong October because, "I'd rather concentrate on what he's doing now," but made it clear he believes Gonchar is capable of operating at a consistently high level.

"The second half of last season, he was probably one of the best defensemen in the league," Therrien said. "And there's no doubt in my mind he's going in that direction right now."

Slap shots

Forward Chris Thorburn, claimed on waivers from the Sabres Oct. 3, was a healthy scratch last night as Therrien decided to dress Ronald Petrovicky for the second time in the past 11 games. "Petrovicky is part of our team, and we like to keep players on their toes," Therrien said. ... Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, on the 7-7-3 road record the Penguins took into the game last night: "That's a good road record. There are a lot of teams that would take 7-7-3. They're making it tougher [on home teams], and they're learning to win on the road."