EASTERN FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 5:
#4 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs #7 BUFFALO SABRES
Buffalo leads 3-1
Game time: Monday May 31st, 1999 7:30pm at Toronto
Needing one more win to clinch a place in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Buffalo Sabres look to make that a reality tonight in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Sabres remained perfect on home ice with a 5-2 victory in Game Four on Saturday in a contest that was not as close as the score indicates. Resurgent Geoff Sanderson scored twice to cap a four-goal second period as the Sabres took a commanding three games to one lead.
Buffalo and All-Star goaltender Dominik Hasek have three chances to come up with the one win that will put them in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1975.
Hasek's return from a groin injury has given the Sabres a huge lift as has the play of Sanderson and Stu Barnes. Sanderson has three goals and four assists in his last five playoff games while Barnes has four goals and two assists in this series.
The Sabres went 0-for-4 with the man advantage on Saturday, failing to score a power-play goal for the first time in 14 playoff games.
The Maple Leafs had not suffered consecutive losses since March 22-24 before dropping both games in Buffalo. Toronto, which has not played for the Stanley Cup since 1967, is 5-3 at home this postseason.
After playing so brilliantly in the first two rounds, Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph has struggled in the conference finals. Joseph has allowed 16 goals on 104 shots for an ugly .846 save percentage.
Should Toronto prolong the series, Game Six would be on Wednesday at Buffalo.