Isles Stop The Sabres 4-2
Trevor Linden doesn't have any secrets in beating Dominik Hasek, but this much is for sure: Three of his last four shots against the netminder have been goals.
Linden scored twice as the New York Islanders broke Hasek's two-game shutout streak and stopped Buffalo's 13-game unbeaten streak with a 4-2 victory over the Sabres on Friday night.
"I don't know what all the fuss is about," Linden said jokingly.
The focus for the past two weeks has been on Hasek, the all-world goaltender who has been nearly unbeatable. After leading the Czech Republic to the Olympic gold medal, he recorded back-to-back shutouts earlier in the week against Washington and the New York Rangers.
On Friday, Hasek looked like an average goaltender. He allowed four goals at home for the first time since a 5-1 loss to Montreal on Oct. 17. The four came on just 22 shots.
"A loss had to come some time," Hasek said. "I'm just disappointed it came in this building. I didn't play my best game. I didn't help my teammates."
Linden scored the only goal for Canada in the Czech Republic's 2-1 victory in the medal round during the Winter Games. Hasek stopped five consecutive breakways in a game-deciding shootout, something he could not do against the Islanders.
Tom Chorske put the game away when he scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway with a slap shot between Hasek's legs in the third period. Robert Reichel, Hasek's Olympic teammate, scored the other New York goal.
"He is human, although it doesn't seem like it," Linden said. "He's bound to have a night where we can get a couple by him. (Friday) night was it."
Linden has three goals and two assists in five games with the Islanders since he was traded from Vancouver for Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi and a third-round draft pick.
The Islanders scored three consecutive goals in the first two periods and took a 3-1 lead when Reichel pounced on a rebound in front of the net and beat Hasek with a backhander.
"It's funny," Reichel said. "I don't get many chances on him, but when you get one or two chances on him and score, you feel pretty good."
Linden scored 36 seconds apart in the final 1:03 of the first period off passes from Ziggy Palffy to give the Islanders a lead they would never relinquish.
His first goal came after Hasek mishandled the puck while trying to clear the zone. Palffy grabbed control and found Linden near the right circle, where the forward beat Hasek with a one-timer between the legs.
Linden's second goal came moments later when Palffy faked a slap shot from inside the blue line and sent a pass into the left circle. Linden's quick wrist shot bounced off Hasek and into the net.
"We wanted to let (Hasek) do his thing," Islanders coach Rick Bowness said. "We wanted to let him make th miraculous saves and just keep shooting."
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