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Fight night in Buffalo: Just who could challenge Milan Lucic?

Ryan Miller, Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara

Players from the Boston Bruins, including Johnny Boychuk (55) and Zdeno Chara (33), scuffle with the Buffalo Sabres as Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) gets up after coming out of the net and being decked by the Bruins’ Milan Lucic (obscured) on a breakaway in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. Lucic was called for charging. The Bruins won 6-2. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

AP

Buffalo’s newest public enemy #1 in Milan Lucic hits the ice tonight with a lot of Sabres fans and even some within the organization thinking payback is on the way. After all, the Sabres have had over a week and a half to stew about Lucic running over Ryan Miller and not answering the bell to stick up for their now injured goalie.

So if there is to be a fight (or a few) tonight to get retribution on Lucic, just who in the world on Buffalo is going to do the deed? The Sabres don’t have a tried and true goon fighter but they do have a handful of guys that could duel with their personal devil if they so choose.

If you want to put even money on one guy going for it it’s Paul Gaustad. Gaustad was highly critical of the team and himself for not getting after Lucic when they had the chance to and with the amount of pride Gaustad has, there’s almost no way he can let Lucic go without doing something tonight.

If Gaustad doesn’t get to him first, Cody McCormick would be another solid choice to drop the gloves with Lucic. McCormick isn’t one afraid to drop the gloves if need be and the Sabres certainly seem like they need to do something with Lucic. (Update: That would be if Cody McCormick wasn’t injured of course. Which he is. Our bad, folks.)

Failing that, Patrick Kaleta is the last hope there and he’s more of a pest than a fighter and seeing him challenge Lucic might do more to fire up the Bruins than anything else. If Kaleta does anything in this game at all, it’ll be attempting to run over Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask as a different sort of retribution.

No matter what happens, the Bruins say they’ll be ready for it, Lucic in particular expects it. Either way, Brendan Shanahan has spoken with both clubs and will be monitoring things from New York City. If there’s going to be a throw down tonight, the teams better not be stupid about it.