Sabres open up the floodgates!
By Rick Anderson
February 20, 2000
Can you believe it? The Buffalo Sabres came up with an offensive explosion not seen in weeks! They actually scored four goals in less than 60 minutes. It took a former Los Angeles King to help ignite the torrent of goals that the Buffalo forwards produced. Vladimir Tsyplakov was all over the ice and had a hand in all three of the Sabres tallies while Los Angeles had a goalie in the net (Miroslav Satan scored an empty netter).
"We were an offensive juggernaut," deadpanned Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.
"We worked hard,"said Tsyplakov. "We had good checking, good forechecking, good pursuit of the puck, and good things happened for us. We've had a lot of chances in the last 10 games and scored one goal. It was nice tonight. Hopefully, we could continue it."
The way the game started out, it looked like it was going to be another long night for the Sabres.
Ziggy Palffy got a perfect feed from Luc Robitaille and Ziggy got his shot off that got between the goal post and Dominik Hasek's pad at the 2:58 mark of the first period. Knowing the team's difficulty overcoming one-goal deficits, many of the fans in the sellout crown in Marine Midland Arena were starting to fret over another possible loss. That's when Tsyplakov started his crusade against his old team.
LA goalie Jamie Storr went behind his net to play a loose puck when Tsyplakov beat him to it and sent it to Peca who was waiting in the slot area. The Sabres' captain made a nice backhander to beat Storr and the Sabres were actually on the scoreboard. Once could sense a huge sigh of relief from the huge throng and the Sabres bench itself. Palffy's goal was not going to stand as the game-winner.
Peca's goal lifted the team up and the Sabres finally found their legs, their passes, their hitting game and their scoring touch. They were operating on all cylinders for the first time since that February 3rd game against Ottawa. Peca himself found his hitting game once again as he was delivering massive hits in every part of the rink. Why that part of his game suddenly disappears like it did against his former Canucks team is the major question of the season for the Sabres. When Peca's game is on, the Sabres are a tough team to beat. The night's that the Sabres' captain retreats into his shell like a turtle, Buffalo's chances of winning diminish greatly.
"We had to come up with a game like this," said Peca. "We got some bounces through the goalie, and we went from there. It's refreshing (to score two goals). I've been getting a lot of chances and skating well. To get the goals when we need them is a big bonus."
In the second period, Hasek had to be sharp several times to keep the score tied. Palffy and Robitaille went in on a two-on-one and Palffy sent a perfect pass to Robitaille who had an open shot on the net. Hasek was able to get over and make a sliding save on Robitaille's shot, denying him of his 31st goal of the season. The Sabres got another scare when Robitaille got in on Hasek and beat him with a shot that hit the post and was lying dangerously right next to the post when Alexei Zhitnik saved the day and swept it out of harm's way.
Tsyplakov started off the scoring play that he finished when he passed to Peca at the Kings' blue line and the Sabres' captain went to the top of the faceoff circle. Meanwhile, Tsyplakov snuck in to the right of Storr just below the left faceoff circle and Peca fed the former King, who let go of a wrist shot that beat Storr on the short side. The goal came 10:08 into the second.
"When 'Sippy' first got here, he created a lot for his linemates," Peca said. "It was good to see him save it for his old mates."
"I didn't try to prove them wrong or something," said Tsyplakov. "I just wanted to come here, work hard and have some fun. I'm just happy to play again."
"If there was anybody who had to beat us tonight, I'm glad it was him," said Kings' coach Andy Murray. "He's a great guy."
Peca came up with one of his best offensive plays of the season with 12:28 left in the third when he picked up the puck that Varada left for him in the right corner, skated past a couple of Kings defenders into the slot area and lifted a picture-perfect back hand shot that hit the top left corner, his 13th goal of the season, giving the Sabres an amazing 3-1 lead. The Sabres fans could not believe what they had just witnessed. Not only did Peca score a goal that will make the highlight films, but the Sabres had actually scored three goals in a game and were leading by two!
"I think I misplayed the first one (that Peca scored),"said Storr. "The third one I couldn't even see. It just found a hole."
"He handles the puck so well," said Peca about his new Russian linemate. "When a guy shows a lot of confidence by holding onto the puck like he does, it's contagious. It's rubbed off on Vaclav and myself, and the result is we're creating quality scoring chances for ourselves."
In the last minute of the game, the Kings went with the extra attacker and came up short when Miroslav Satan stole the puck at center ice, deked a couple of defensemen and shot it into the empty net for his 28th of the season.
Going into this game, Los Angeles were the top goal scoring team in the entire Western Conference with 182 tallies. To make matters worse, Buffalo was short two of its veteran defensemen as James Patrick and Richard Smehlik were scratched because of injuries. That meant that Cory Sarich and Dimitri Kalinin, who was called up from Rochester, would have to take up the slack. It turned out that the Sabres defense played one of their better games of the season in shutting down Palffy and Luc Robitaille. Hasek did the rest making 24 saves and still remains unbeaten after coming back from his three-month hiatus. Hasek has a remarkable 1.11 GAA and a .958 save percentage while posting a 3-0-3 record since coming back from his groin tear. In his last five games his percentage is even better: 0.96 goals-against average with a .963 save percentage.
"It was great," said Hasek about the offensive fireworks the Sabres displayed. "We scored in every period. I don't count the last one into an open net. But if you score three goals in our building, we have a good chance to win. We should score every game, like two or three goals. It would be nice."
"We beat a good team," said Lindy Ruff. "We fed off a few really big saves by Dom early in the game."
The four goals the Sabres scored in Saturday night's game was the first time the team had lit the lamp more that twice a game in their last seven. It couldn't come at a better time as the Montreal Canadiens are breathing down the Sabres necks in the playoff race. The Habs defeated the Leafs Saturday and are only two behind the Sabres in race to the last playoff berth. Montreal also has two games in hand.
The Kings just can't beat the Sabres in Buffalo lately. They are 0-5-1 in their past six visits here.
"We didn't get the job done like we wanted," Murray said about the Kings' five-game winning streak that the Sabres snuffed out. "We can't complain with how we've been doing."
"Playing back-to-back is tough on any team," said Kings' captain Rob Blake. "We didn't capitalize on earlier opportunities, and with Dominik Hasek in net, it's very psychological. The Sabres wore us down as the game went on."
"LA was playing good hockey, really good hockey," said Ruff. "I don't think you can underestimate how well they have been playing. We beat a good team with three or four key members of our team not in the lineup. It was a huge effort."
When Tsyplakov was acquired for an 8th round draft choice, most fans thought that the trade could not been too meaningful considering what the Sabres had to give up.
"Everyone thought it was a bad trade," said Varada who had a three-point night "They (the Sabres front office) obviously knew what they were bringing here. They knew what we were getting. It's paying off right now."
The Sabres get a day off and now await for the Conference leading New Jersey Devils to come into town for Monday's game in Marine Midland Arena.
Donald Audette was shutout in his return to his former home Saturday. Skating again on the Buffalo ice brought back a flood of memories.
"I keep hearing people say that I didn't want to be here, and that hurts me a little bit," said Audette . "It's always fun to come back here. It was my home for nine or 10 years. It's a nice place. I have good memories here. My kids were born here. It might be a place where we end up after (his playing days are over)."
"I never thought I would play one game," said Ray. "It's gone so fast, and now I'm at 700. It's been a pretty fulfilling career for me. I'm extra-excited because I've been able to stay in one place doing it. The way free agency is and the way guys change teams, you're not going to see guys after our era is over staying with one team."
The team leaders for most games are Gilbert Perreault with1,191, Craig Ramsay with1,070, Mike Ramsey who played 911, Bill Hajt who skated in 854, Don Luce with 766 and Dave Andreychuk who was a Sabre for 763 games.
"I'd like to get to 1,000 with this team," continued Ray. "Obviously, I want to finish here. I don't want to go anywhere else, but it's out of my hands now."
The Sabres' Curtis Brown has now missed four straight games and the Sabres' brass is starting to worry about the forward. He supposedly has a stomach virus and has lost 10 pounds. He has had it since February 9 and is not getting any better.
"You know what a virus is?" Ruff asked. "It's something a player has when doctors can't figure out what it is. Even the doc admitted it. They've done all the tests. They thought maybe ulcers. They tried to rule out everything. Blood tests are normal."
Brown may still be losing weight as he cannot retain his food. It is not known how soon the Sabres center will come back.
Talking about Tsyplakov, Ruff said, "I don't know if I knew what to expect of him, not knowing him that well. But I knew he had good hands, I knew he was a solid player all around. I didn't realize how strong he was. He's got a pretty good frame on him, handles the puck really well and he's a decent play-maker."
"We've been really happy with our line," Peca said. "It's been clicking, it's been getting chances. The puck just didn't want to go in. I think with (Tsyplakov's) goal tonight, it's going to open the doors and hopefully we could extend this little run we're on."
"It's strange because he came to a team that has had trouble taking advantage of their chances," Peca continued. "We've been afraid at times to pull the trigger. But we've worked on it in practice and made sure Sippy takes shots when he has them. He does the same for us."
On Peca's second goal, Kings' coach Murray claims that Tsyplakov committed interference.
"Their third goal was clear interference," said Murray, as he held up a videotape he intends to show referee Dan Marouelli. "Tsyplakov picked Matty Norstrom with his stick."
"[Marouelli] said he didn't see it," Murray claims. "I think the rest of the people in the building saw it.. It was a 2-1 game, and down the stretch, we were getting lots of chances."
Tsyplakov even admits that he may have gotten away with the pick.
"I did [hold up Norstrom], but just for a little second and then I let him go, so there's no penalty at all," Tsyplakov admitted. "Just good enough to let Michael go by him."
Goaltender Storr was caught out of position on Peca's first tally and the puck went off him and into the net when Tsyplakov shot from a bad angle.
"It hit the post, then hit me in the back and went in,"said Storr. "I wanted to make him make a good shot, and he got a good bounce. Sippy hasn't had a lot of bounces go his way in his career. It's sad for us, but it's good for him."
"I think everyone in here is happy for him although we wished he hadn't done it tonight," Storr continued. "He always worked very hard in practice and he had great stick-handling skill. Maybe this is the place where he can show that."
"It's not that I didn't enjoy myself there, but there were so many scratches,"said the former King for almost five years. "I never felt like I got a chance. A game like tonight means everything."
"I'm getting more ice time over here, a better chance to play," Tsyplakov commented. "I was scratched often in L.A. When I played, I played pretty good, scored some goals."
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The line of Michael Peca, Tsyplakov and Vaclav Varada played with intensity and great pursuit in scoring the first three Buffalo goals and combining for nine points. By scoring 4 goals, the Sabres tied their high mark for goals in the month of February (Buffalo scored 4 against Ottawa on Feb. 3).
Dominik Hasek makes a save on a slap shot in the first period
Rob Ray played his 700th game in the National Hockey League Saturday and every one of them have been with the Sabres. Ray almost scored a goal in the first period but was stonewalled by Storr. Only six former Sabres have played more games than Ray.
Rob Ray, in his 700th game as a Sabre, does his duty in antagonizing a King as a referee intervenes
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