Thanks To Hasek, Sabres Tie Blues

Outshot 43-16, the Buffalo Sabres escaped with a tie, thanks to Dominik Hasek.

"It's frightening how good he was," coach Lindy Ruff said after Tuesday night's 2-2 deadlock with the St. Louis Blues. "Grand larceny is a good way to describe it."

Hasek, the NHL player of the week last week after allowing two goals in three games, remained on top of his game to keep the Sabres' five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) alive. He was especially strong in the first period, stopping 17 shots and keeping it a 1-1 game.

"My job is to stop the puck," Hasek said. "You feel excited when you get outshot by a wide margin and get a tie."

Blues coach Joel Quenneville wasn't that impressed.

"That's just a regular game for him," Quenneville said. "His anticipation is incredible, his quickness is as good as anybody and he's got so many weapons to keep himself in front of the puck.

"The best thing is he follows the puck closer than anybody I've ever seen."

The only player Hasek couldn't stop was Pavol Demitra, who got both of the Blues' goals. Demitra, among the league leaders with 12 goals, has nine goals and nine assists in his last 14 games.

"I didn't know him before the game," said Hasek, who evidently doesn't pay attention to scouting reports. "Not only can he shoot, but he's a smart player."

Curtis Brown scored both Buffalo goals. Brown, who had 12 goals last season, already has seven, but like everybody else he was more interested in talking about Hasek.

"I don't know if there's a word in the dictionary to describe this guy," Brown said. "If anyone in the world can stop the puck, it's him."

The Blues are 0-2-1 in their last three games and 0-4-against the Sabres since March 23, 1994.

Demitra, who took four shots in the first period, had a power-play goal taken away at 12:36 of the first when Jim Campbell's left skate was in the crease. He stayed on the ice and scored his 12th goal, and ninth with the man advantage, 23 seconds later on the rebound of a Chris Pronger slap shot.

Left alone in front, Brown tied it at 15:10 off a setup from Miroslav Satan.

The Blues had outshot the Sabres 20-5 when Demitra beat Hasek again from in front of the net at 6:44 of the second.

St. Louis killed off a four-minute power play when Al MacInnis was whistled for cross-checking and unsportsmanlike conduct at 12:57, allowing only one shot. But Brown tied it up again at 58 seconds of the third with a shot that deflected off Pronger's stick and over the head of goalie Jamie McLennan.

The Sabres killed off a boarding call on Mike Peca with 1:24 left in regulation, allowing one shot the rest of the period and one early in overtime. Then they killed off a kneeing penalty to Alexei Zhitnik with 1:34 to go as Hasek stopped two more shots.

Buffalo didn't get off a shot in overtime.

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