Bruins Make Quick Work of Hasek

Two days after stopping every puck shot his way, Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek couldn’t even finish the game.

After shutting out the Boston Bruins in Game 4, Hasek was beaten four times in the first 40 minutes Sunday at Boston as the Bruins won Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, 5-3.

“I think there was a little bit of the feeling [that]. . . ‘Dom is playing great, and Dom will win us the game. Let’s have an easy one,’ ” said Sabre Coach Lindy Ruff, who pulled Hasek after two periods in which Buffalo was outshot, 26-11, and trailed, 4-1.

“I was worried about one of their guys breaking their stick over Dom.”

The Sabres lead the series, 3-2, with a chance to clinch it Tuesday night in Buffalo. In 18 tries, the Bruins have never won a playoff series after falling behind, 3-1.

The Sabres mounted little offense in the first two periods, and on defense they were content to let their most-valuable-player goalie clean up their mistakes. One of the goals against Hasek was a screen shot, and another was scored on a two-on-zero.

“You like to think he’s going to stop those, but he can’t,” Ruff said. “We gambled and we lost on our gambles, and it hurt us.”

But Hasek made no excuses.

“I don’t care if I was screened or whatever,” said the two-time MVP who has led the NHL in save percentage for each of the past six years. “Four goals in two periods is too much.”

Boston has a stellar goaltender of its own in Byron Dafoe, who led the league with 10 regular-season shutouts. He stopped 20 shots, protecting a one-goal lead by turning away a slap shot by Geoff Sanderson with 1:46 to play.

Around the League

The Chicago Blackhawks cashed in on a longshot, converting a 3.7% chance to move up from the No. 8 spot to No. 4 in the NHL draft, the maximum climb allowed in the draft lottery.

The Tampa Bay Lightning retained the No. 1 overall selection, with the No. 2 spot going to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers, followed by Vancouver. The Kings select eighth.