Sabres Do All the Thrashing

The Buffalo Sabres brought the NHL’s newest team back to reality.

Maxim Afinogenov scored two goals and assisted on another as the Sabres beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 4-0, Friday night at Atlanta.

It was the first shutout for Sabre rookie goalie Martin Biron.

A week into the season, the expansion Thrashers tied Buffalo, 5-5, and knocked out Dominik Hasek during the high-scoring game.

But on Friday night, with Hasek on the injured list, Biron and the Sabres looked more like they did when they reached the Stanley Cup finals last season. They limited the Thrashers to 18 shots.

Thrasher center Patrik Stefan, the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft who has a history of concussions, suffered a minor concussion in the first period.

New York Islanders 3, Colorado 2--Claude Lapointe scored two goals in a 2:20 span of the third period as the Islanders beat the Avalanche at Denver.

Calgary 3, Detroit 1--Fred Brathwaite made 28 saves as Flames won for the first time in regulation this season, beating the Red Wings at Calgary. The Flames are 6-12-2, with the five previous victories coming in overtime.

Washington 3, Carolina 3--Jeff Halpern and James Black made the Capitals’ fourth line look more like its first, each getting a goal and an assist in a tie with the Hurricanes at Washington.

Around the League

The Phoenix Coyotes traded Mikhail Shtalenkov, the NHL’s player of the month in October, to the Florida Panthers for Sean Burke in a swap of goaltenders. Phoenix also gets a fifth-round draft choice in the trade. The deal apparently means the Coyotes are ready to complete the season without goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who is holding out in a contract dispute. Burke, 32, and his $2.1-million salary had become expendable because the Panthers signed Trevor Kidd to a four-year, $8.1-million contract during training camp. . . . Boston right wing Joe Murphy will be out indefinitely with a sprained knee, an injury he suffered Wednesday night against New Jersey. . . . New York Ranger center Manny Malhotra will be out 10-14 days because of a sprained left ankle. He was injured Thursday night against Boston. . . . The NHL Players’ Assn. is planning to give $10.3 million over the next five years to amateur hockey programs in the Canada and the U.S. The fund could be used to help teams subsidize repairs to hockey arenas, pay for tournament trips or buy new player equipment.