Power moves
Sabres beat Bruins -- again -- in Northeast Division rumble
Posted: Saturday January 16, 1999 02:08 AM
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Dominating Dominik: Dominik Hasek (center) rejects the shot on goal for one of his 33 saves of the night AP |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Maybe what Dominik Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres needed in the
last couple of weeks were more divisional games.
The Dominator made 33 saves, while Brian Holzinger and Curtis Brown
added offensive support with goals, as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 Friday
night in the Northeast Division.
Dmitri Khristich scored for Boston, and Byron Dafoe made 22 stops. The
Bruins have lost all three games against Buffalo this season.
Buffalo, playing its first division contest since a 3-2 overtime loss
to Ottawa on Dec. 30, snapped a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) and inched
closer in the Northeast Division race. Their 50 points are just one behind
division co-leaders Toronto and Ottawa. The Bruins remain fourth in the
division with 44 points.
The Sabres will try to move closer to Ottawa Saturday night when they
play at Ottawa. Boston returns home to face Tampa Bay Saturday night.
Even during the Sabres' cold streak, Hasek hasn't exactly been the
problem. His save percentage (.935) and victory total (20) lead the league
and he was still among a group of six goalies in the NHL with a
goals-against average under 2.00 (1.95).
"There were some great saves both ways, but Dom definitely had his A
game," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.
"He [Hasek] made some big saves early," Boston coach Pat Burns said.
"I thought we had good chances."
"We played a disciplined game, and I could see every shot," Hasek
said. "This is a big win."
"With everyone jockeying for position, you lose one game and end up in
sixth place in the conference," said Holzinger, who played on a wing for
the first time since being paired with Pat LaFontaine several years ago.
"It's a big confidence boost."
"This was a 4-point game, no matter how you look at it," Dafoe said.
"They've owned us this year. That's six important points."
Holzinger opened the scoring 2:38 into the second period, getting his
13th of the year. His pass from the right corner was intended for Geoff
Sanderson, but Bruins defenseman Don Sweeney tipped the puck past Dafoe.
"Sweeney has a job to do, and he didn't do it," Burns said. "He's got
to get to that guy's stick."
Hasek, as traditional in a big victory, made several highlight reel
stops, but perhaps the most spectacular came during a series midway through
the second period.
With Buffalo clinging to a 1-0 lead, Hasek stopped back-to-back shots,
first making a kick save on a slap shot by Ray Bourque, then sprawling to
make a shoulder stop on Jason Allison on the ensuing rebound.
Buffalo entered the third period with a 1-0 lead, and if history was
any indication, the game could have been considered over. The Sabres have
won all 18 games in which they have led going into the third period, and
Boston is 3-12-2 when trailing after two frames.
Brown then increased the advantage to 2-0 with his 11th of the season
4:59 into the final period. After a Boston turnover in the neutral zone,
Matthew Barnaby made a nifty pass across the slot to Brown, whose wrist
shot from the right faceoff circle put Buffalo up 2-0.
Khristich foiled Hasek's shutout bid with 8:47 remaining, scoring his
18th on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle after a crossing pass
from Allison.
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