Coyotes Top Sabres, End Skid

Nikolai Khabibulin had little margin for error in his goaltending battle against Dominik Hasek.

Khabibulin made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and Dallas Drake scored with 16:25 remaining as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Buffalo Sabres 1-0 Monday night to snap a four-game winless streak.

The victory capped a memorable day for Khabibulin, who earlier had been named to his second consecutive all-star team.

"I think I deserve it," said Khabibulin, who recorded his 17th career shutout. "I was a little extra pumped up before the game. I haven't played him (Hasek) a lot of times. When you beat him 1-0, it's even nicer."

The Coyotes provided Khabibulin his slender cushion when they caught the Sabres in a bad line change.

Teppo Numminen, one of the Coyotes' four all-stars, stole the puck just outside the Sabres' zone and fed a pass to Jeremy Roenick, also an all-star selection. Hasek stopped Roenick's blast from the top of the left circle, but Drake pounced on the puck in the low slot and shot it over Hasek's glove for his seventh goal.

"It was a good rebound," said Hasek, who made 21 saves. "It's a tough day only if you lose. We played pretty well defensively. But they scored a goal and we only hit the post."

Brian Holzinger appeared to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 4:57 of the second period when he rifled a shot off Teppo Numminen's stick and behind Khabibulin.

The goal light came on as the puck ricocheted off both the crossbar and left post before bouncing into the right circle, but referee Rob Shick immediately waved off the goal. Shick's decision was confirmed moments later by video goal judge Tony Knowles.

"I felt it hit my skate behind me so I didn't know what to think," Khabibulin said.

The Coyotes won for just the second time i their last seven home games (2-4-1).

"This is 180 degrees from our last couple of games," Phoenix coach Jim Schoenfeld said. "In one word, our players were committed."

Neither team mounted much offense in the first two periods.

Phoenix's best scoring chance came as the Coyotes killed off a power play with 37.5 seconds left in the second period. Bob Corkum jumped on a loose puck at the Buffalo blue line, skated in and fired low on Hasek. But Hasek, who had come several feet out of the crease to cut down Corkum's angle, dropped to his knees and trapped the puck under his pads as he slid backward toward the goal.

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