Punch Imlach finally let one get away! He had a chance to draft Ed Staniowski in the first round armature draft last year, but chose instead Bob Salve. Salve is also a rookie goalie and he has been watching this playoff series from the stands after helping his Charlottesville Checkers win the Eastern League playoffs (this included the shutouts in the final series). If the Sabres had drafted Staniowski, it could have been Sauve in the St. Louis nets, while the Polish goalie from Moose Jaw watch from the balcony. As it was, Staniowski must have had the Sabres thinking that they were shooting at a goal occupied by three goaltenders instead of one. Glen Resh, Ken Dryden and Bernie Parent could have been standing side by side in the Blues nets and they still couldn't have come up with a better performance. Staniowski looked super human as he blocked 54 shots and almost all of his saves were of the spectacular variety. He held the Sabres scoreless until the middle of the third period (as he did in the first game) before Danny Gare and Craig Ramsay clicked for the Sabres. Staniowski has to be labeled as the key player in this series for he has kept St. Louis in these two games. He stopped the Sabres early in the first game and that allowed the Blues to gain momentum on their own rink. When the Sabres did score last night, it was a come-from-behind goal. The Blues had drawn first blood a little bit earlier in the period. Gerry Desjardins looked a bit rusty on that one. It was flipped over his shoulder from about 20 feet in front to the top part of the goal. The Sabres scored two goals after that and looked like they had a victory. But a wild scramble for the puck in front of Desjardins resulted in a tie and overtime.

Gare, who earlier in the game was felled to the ice with what looked like a crippling knee injury at the time, skated down the right side and slapped an almost impossible shot off the far goal post and into the goal for the game winner. Staniowski couldn't be faulted and he won the First Star honors.

This game has to be rated as one of the most exciting Sabre playoff games ever, maybe even topping last year's overtime victories over Montreal and Philadelphia. Buffalo completely outplayed the Blues as the 57-15 shots on goal indicate. It will take another spectacular performance by Staniowski to prevent the Sabres from advancing in the playoffs. He shut down the powerful Sabre scorers for 2 ½ periods last night. If he can do this tonight for the entire game and the Blues manage a couple of goals, St. Louis will head for Montreal and the Quarter Finals. If this happens, it will be an even bigger surprise than the Islanders taking the Flyers to seven games in last year's semi-finals. But with Big Ed in goal, nothing seems impossible.