Kevin Oklobzija

USA TODAY Sports

BUFFALO – The Ryan Miller Era is over. Let the Jhonas Enroth Era begin.

Or so Enroth hopes.

After serving a three-year apprenticeship in the American Hockey League, followed by a three-year stint as Miller's backup, Enroth is eager to prove he can win games on a nightly basis for the Buffalo Sabres.

"You always want to be the guy," Enroth said. "This is the chance I've been waiting for pretty much my whole career."

Thus, he enters his seventh training camp with a new mindset. In the past, he knew exactly where he stood on the depth chart, and his play wasn't going to change it.

As a rookie in 2008-09, and for the two years after, he knew he would be the goalie for the Portland Pirates. Starting in 2011-12, he had graduated to the NHL but playing time would be sporadic as long as Miller was healthy.

But with Miller now gone — traded to the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 28 and then signing as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks over the summer — the job as No. 1 is Enroth's to earn.

"I see myself a little bit more as the potential starter," the 26-year-old Stockholm native said. "When Ryan was here, you knew he was going to be the guy — for obvious reasons."

Enroth isn't necessarily the obvious front-runner though. Michal Neuvirth, a 26-year-old native of the Czech Republic, has been No. 1 on an NHL depth chart in the past. He played 48 games for the Washington Capitals in 2010-11 (27-12-4, 2.45 GAA, .914 save percentage) before dropping behind Tomas Vokoun and then Braden Holtby on the Caps depth chart.

They both intend to prove they should play.

"We're going to push each other to be better every day," Neuvirth said. "I feel like we're going to be a good tandem."

This will be an amicable competition, too. While they haven't been teammates long — Neuvirth arrived via a March 5 trade — they got to know each other quite well through an unwanted manner:

Sharing rides to the doctor's office, Enroth said.

Enroth suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee on March 16. Three days earlier, Neuvirth suffered a hip injury.

They have a bit of a bond now.

"He was the first guy I was texting when I got here to Buffalo (to prepare for camp)," Neuvirth said. "I like him as a person and I respect him as a goalie."

Coach Ted Nolan says he likes their attitude and approach.

"They're here to help the Buffalo Sabres," Nolan said. "It's not 'I'm better than you.' It's 'Let's be better together.' "

Enroth has a career NHL record of 25-35-12 with a 2.75 GAA and .913 save percentage. Last season, for a team that won just 21 games, he went 4-17 with a 2.82 GAA and .911 save percentage.

But he believes from his time in Portland and also from backstopping Sweden to a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships that he can excel as the No. 1 goalie.

"When you play well, that gives you confidence," he said. "Especially winning the World Championship a couple years ago was a big confidence boost for me (he allowed just eight goals in seven games). You know you can stop great players on that level."

Kevin Oklobzija writes for the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle