Hasek Dominates... Agian

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 20, 1998 / 2:51 AM EST / CBS Sportsline

At $7.5 million per season, Dominik Hasek would have made nearly $3,000 on Thursday night -- per save. He'll have to wait until next year.

Hasek stopped 31 shots in the Buffalo Sabres' 6-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night after signing a four-year contract worth about $35 million.

"I'm glad we reached an agreement on a new contract," Hasek said. "I believe I will be playing for the Buffalo Sabres for the next couple years. I'm very happy about it."

Hasek, 33, should be happy. He's getting $7.5 million next season and $18.5 million over the following two years. If the Sabres pick up the option on the final year, he will be paid $9 million.

A No-trade clause that was in his previous contract will be included for an undisclosed portion of the new deal, agent Rich Winter said. The new deal makes Hasek the richest goaltender in NHL history.

"Dominik's feeling toward Buffalo and the Sabres was a big reason we could reach an agreement so quickly," said part-owner John Rigas, who has assumed control of the team. "I honestly believe he could have demanded more somewhere else, but he chose to stay here."

Against the Panthers, the Sabres did everything they didn't do in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Buffalo played solid defense in front of Hasek and capitalized on its opportunities in the other end.

Alexei Zhitnik scored two shorthanded goals and Michael Peca added another as the Sabres built a 4-0 lead before handing the Panthers their 11th consecutive loss.

"I was lucky," Zhitnik said. "It wasn't my goal to get shorthanded goals. They happened. I got the chances and nice passes, and they went in."

It marked the first time since April 4, 1995 that the Sabres scored three times while they were shorthanded. Florida had never allowed that many in one game in its five-year existence.

Hasek was hardly challenged before allowing Viktor Kozlov's goal in the second period to make it 4-1. Dixon Ward scored seven seconds after the ensuing faceoff. Donald Audette and Derek Plante also scored for the Sabres.

"We're letting up on defense," Panthers forward Dino Ciccarelli said. "We just left (goalie Kevin) Weekes out to dry."

Buffalo had a 2-0 lead on goals by Peca and Audette in the first period before Zhitnik gave the Sabres a four-goal lead in the second.

Zhitnik's first goal came 2:06 into the period when he accepted a pass from Ward and beat Weekes with a high slap shot. His second came when he one-timed Brian Holzinger's pass across the zone.

"We tried to get somebody to take a penalty in the third period," Ward joked, "but nobody did."

Kozlov broke up Hasek's bid for an 11th shutout when he beat the oalie on a rising slap shot with 3:31 remaining in the second. The Panthers' celebration didn't last long. Ward took the next faceoff and stuffed the puck between Weekes' legs.

Peca set the tempo 7:28 into the game when he intercepted Kozlov's pass near the blue line, faked Weekes to the ice and flipped a backhand into an open net. Audette made it 2-0 with 2:57 remaining in the period when he scored while the Sabres had a two-man advantage.

"The opportunities were there," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We had the chances, and we took advantage of them."