Buffalo Sweeps Montreal

Seven months ago, the Buffalo Sabres were a shambles. They had a new coach and general manager. They were losing regularly. The star goaltender was getting booed at home.

After sweeping the Montreal Canadiens with a 3-1 victory on Thursday night, the Sabres found themselves in the conference finals for the first time since 1980 with no signs they will lose any time soon.

“We seemed to grow with adversity,” Buffalo forward Matthew Barnaby said as he puffed a cigar. Buffalo will meet the winner of the Washington-Ottawa series in the conference finals starting next week.

The Sabres are one series victory away from their first appearance in the Stanley Cup in 23 years, thanks largely to the play of star goaltender Dominik Hasek and the gritty Barnaby.

It was Barnaby who threatened to take a cheap shot at Hasek during training camp for remarks made in the off-season about former coach Ted Nolan. Hasek was ridiculed by Sabres fans for a month.

But against the Canadiens, it was Barnaby who scored the crucial first goal on Thursday when he beat Andy Moog in the opening period. It was Hasek who stopped 37 shots in Game 4 and held the Sabres intact throughout the series.

“Sometimes we live by the way we play,” Hasek said. “But the thing is we always find a way to win. They worked hard, the Montreal Canadiens, but they had no chance.”

Not surprisingly, Hasek was unbeatable when Buffalo needed him most. Since the second period from Game 3, Hasek allowed one goal on 65 shots over a span of 101 minutes, 24 seconds.

“I hope every one of them tucks in every night and says thank you [for Hasek],” Canadien forward Mark Recchi said of the Sabres. “He’s incredible. The more shots he faces, the better he gets.”

Donald Audette joined Barnaby as Buffalo’s leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points after he scored one goal and set up another in the series clincher. Buffalo has won its last seven playoff games.

Miroslav Satan also scored for the Sabres.