BUFFALO �“ On Friday morning, Sabres goalie Ryan Miller nixed any talk of an Olympic audition against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose brass �“ general manager Brian Burke and coach Ron Wilson �“ will also run Team USA’s entry at the upcoming Vancouver Games.

“It’s just another game, and there’s another coach and another GM to put a team up trying to beat us,” he said.

Less than 12 hours later, Miller, the NHL’s best goalie through four weeks, almost single-handedly shut down the feeble Leafs, stopping 33 shots in the Sabres’ sloppy 3-2 overtime win before a bipartisan crowd of 18,300 fans at HSBC Arena.

For Miller, Friday’s performance was just another in a series of splendid performances.

“He is playing as good as any time I’ve ever seen a goaltender play,” Sabres defenseman Chris Butler said. “You can tell he gets in that zone where the focus is there. You can see before the game there’s nothing that can throw him off. He’s unbelievable right now.”

Tim Connolly’s power-play winner 1:04 into overtime, his second score of the night, sealed the Sabres’ fourth consecutive win. The Sabres (8-1-1, 17 points) also matched the second-best start in franchise history (1975-76).

Mikhail Grabovski’s short-handed tip with 38 seconds left in regulation forced the extra session, the only one of the Leafs’ 16 third-period shots that beat Miller.

As Toronto peppered Miller, the Sabres only mustered five of their 28 shots on Jonas Gustavsson in the third.

“I thought the third period they totally dominated,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of the Leafs, who are 1-7-3.

With several Sabres feeling ill and the team’s strength sapped, Buffalo nearly petered out late. Ruff said Miller sensed that and ramped up his game.

“I think he knew it was going to have to be his night, and he grabbed the bull by the horns and did his thing, which is a great thing to see,” Ruff said.

Miller is now an absurd 8-0-1 this season. He entered Friday with the NHL’s top goals-against average (1.60) and save percentage (.944). He should be in goal again tonight when the Sabres play the Islanders in New York.

Wilson acknowledged Friday morning that Miller would likely be one of the U.S.’s top two goalies. If Miller keeps up his October play, he could secure the No. 1 job over Boston’s Tim Thomas.

“He’s our best player and he’s playing tremendous for us,” Connolly said. “We can talk about what the team’s doing, but when it comes down to it, he’s the most important player on the ice, and he’s just done a tremendous job for us.”

Miller, never one to get too giddy, refuses to get caught up in his fast start.

“It’s more about what I think of myself and what my teammates think and going out there and giving the guys a chance to win every night,” he said. “(That’s) just what I’m trying to do.”

Drew Stafford, who turned 24 on Friday, scored an early power-play goal for the Sabres. Connolly also added an assist for a three-point night.

Ian White scored the Leafs’ other goal.

Miller’s dominating play masked an erratic effort from Buffalo. The Sabres, so tight and efficient the opening four weeks, committed gaffes throughout.

“It was a pretty sloppy game on our behalf,” Butler said. “We gave up far too many chances, especially in our zone.”

Nonetheless, the Sabres eked out a win on a night they could’ve easily lost, a sign of a strong team.

“We’re capable of winning those tight games,” Sabres winger Jason Pominville said. “In the past, those games kind of slipped away from us.”

Connolly thought Friday was one of the Sabres’ “best wins of the year.”

“To go out there and they control the play a lot of the game (and we) still battle through, those are important wins for you,” he said.

“You can’t just go out and win the games where you’re playing well and controlling the play,” he said. “You got to battle and grind out games when there’s not a lot going on.”

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