BUFFALO (LGS) — Tim Connolly's season has gotten off to yet another rocky start. The often-injured center was a late scratch for the Buffalo Sabres' season-opening victory against the Montreal Canadiens.

"He has a hairline fracture in the vertebra in his back," said head coach Lindy Ruff in his postgame press conference. "We really felt that he could get through it, the doctors thought he could get through it, but he couldn't... it just got too painful."

The Sabres head coach reiterated that the injury shouldn't be considered serious.

"It can't get any worse; it's really a short term thing." Ruff added. "He'll be a question mark for a week, but I don't think it would be too much longer than that."

Serious or not, Connolly has played in only 50 out of 165 games since signing a three-year, $8.7 million deal during the 2006 offseason.

The Syracuse native is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the end of the current NHL season.