GAME DAY PREVIEWS
PLAYOFFS ROUND 3: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Updated: Monday May 31, 1999 11:35AM EST
Monday May 31, 1999 Buffalo at Toronto 7:30pm
Buffalo leads 3-1
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.
Saturday May 29, 1999 Toronto at Buffalo 7:30pm
Buffalo leads 2-1
With Dominik Hasek back, the Buffalo Sabres look to remain perfect on home ice and put a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference finals tonight in Game Four against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hasek missed the first two games of this series with a groin injury but returned Thursday in Game Three. "The Dominator" made 24 saves, including all 12 in the final period to lead Buffalo to a 4-2 victory and a two games to one lead.
The Sabres have won all six home games in these playoffs, outscoring opponents, 20-9. Miroslav Satan, who scored 40 goals during the regular season, returned from a nine-game absence due to a foot injury and added a goal and assist.
Buffalo has scored a power-play goal in 13 straight games, matching the second-longest streak in playoff history. The 1981 New York Islanders and 1989 Philadelphia Flyers tallied in 13 straight. The 1988 Edmonton Oilers hold the record with power-play goals in 16 consecutive games.
Another plus for the Sabres is the resurgence of forwards Stu Barnes and Curtis Brown. After he was held to just one assist in the first 10 postseason games, Barnes has collected four goals and one assist in his last three contests. Brown has four goals in his last five contests and leads the team with six tallies.
Buffalo is is 9-0 in these playoffs when captain Michael Peca records a point.
Toronto's top line of Mats Sundin, Steve Thomas and Lonny Bohonos and left wing Sergei Berezin have carried much of the team's offense but all were held witthout a point in Game Three.
The series moves back to Toronto for Game Five on Monday.
Thursday May 27, 1999 Toronto at Buffalo 7:30pm
Series tied 1-1
The Buffalo Sabres hope to have all-world goaltender Dominik Hasek back tonight when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Three of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Sabres pulled out a 5-4 victory in the series opener on Sunday with backup Dwayne Roloson making 28 saves in place of Hasek. But Toronto got to Roloson for five goals on 27 shots in Game Two on Tuesday en route to a 6-3 triumph.
Hasek missed his second straight game due to a groin injury Tuesday and hopes to return tonight but his status likely will not be known until game time.
The Sabres should be happy to get back to Marine Midland Arena, where they are unbeaten in five playoff games against Ottawa and Boston. In those games, Buffalo has allowed just seven goals.
After missing in action for most of the playoffs, Sabres forwards Stu Barnes and Geoff Sanderson have come alive in this series. Sanderson has one goal and three assists and Barnes has three goals and one assist.
Buffalo was 3-for-5 with the man advantage Tuesday and has scored at least one power-play goal in all 12 playoff games.
For the third time in as many series this year, the Leafs lost Game One at home but rebounded to win the next game. They beat Philadelphia in Game Three in the conference quarterfinals but lost to Pittsburgh in the semifinals.
Toronto continues to get excellent production from left wing Sergei Berezin and right wing Lonny Bohonos. Berezin has four goals and four assists during a five-game points streak and Bohonos has two goals and four assists in that span.
Game Four is Saturday at Buffalo.
Tuesday May 25, 1999 Buffalo at Toronto 7:30pm
Buffalo leads 1-0
With the playing status of goaltender Dominik Hasek a game time decision, the Buffalo Sabres look to complete a road sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in Game Two of the Eastern Conference finals.
This series did not get off to a good start for the Sabres on Sunday when they found out Hasek would be unable to play due to a groin injury. But backup Dwayne Roloson made 28 saves and the offense came alive in a 5-4 victory in Game One.
Hasek, who had won eight of his first 10 playoff games, sat out with the same groin injury that sidelined him for a month during the regular season. Hasek's status for tonight will not be known until right before game time.
"I don't have to be 100 percent to be in the game. I have to be able to go up and down," said Hasek, who aggravated the injury in Game Four of the conference semifinals against Boston. "I'm not able to make the butterfly save and get all the rebounds because the pain is so big."
Buffalo scored first for the 10th time in 11 playoff games and improved to 9-2 in this postseason. The Sabres are 4-2 on the road in the playoffs.
Losing the series opener at home is nothing new for the Maple Leafs, who dropped Game One at home in both the conference quarterfinals against Philadelphia and the semifinals against Pittsburgh. Toronto rebounded to win Game Two in both series.
The Sabres have been extremely consistent on the power play, tallying one goal in all 11 playoff games. They are 11-for-48 overall with the man advantage.
After going 1-for-23 on the power play against Pittsburgh, Toronto was 3-for-9 in Game One.
Sabres center Curtis Brown has three goals and two assists during a four-game points streak. Right wing Lonny Bohonos and left wing Sergei Berezin each have four-game points streaks for the Leafs. Bohonos has two goals and three assists while Berezin has three goals and three assists.
The series shifts to Buffalo for Game Three on Thursday.
Sunday May 23, 1999 Buffalo at Toronto 2pm
Series tied 0-0
The seeds of a fierce rivalry figure to be planted today when the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs open the Eastern Conference finals at the Air Canada Centre.
The "Battle of Lake Ontario" pits two teams separated by only 80 miles who have never met in the playoffs. The Sabres are trying to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in team history and the first since 1975. Toronto is trying to end one of hockey's longest championship droughts. The last time the Maple Leafs played for the Cup was 1967, when they captured the last of their 11 titles.
The seventh-seeded Sabres swept the Ottawa Senators in the conference quarterfinals and ousted the Boston Bruins in six games in the semifinals. Toronto needed six games to dispose of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 1994.
Thise series also features two of the game's top goaltenders. Buffalo's Dominik Hasek has been his stellar self in the playoffs, leading all goalies with a .942 save percentage while recording a 1.77 goals-against average.
However, Toronto counterpart Curtis Joseph is among the NHL's top playoff performers and his numbers are remarkably similar to those of "The Dominator." "Cujo" has a .930 save percentage and a 1.80 GAA.
Hasek and the stingy Sabres will have their work cut out for them as the Maple Leafs were the highest scoring team during the regular season. Toronto has finally begun to play like the top scoring team. After managing nine goals in its first seven playoff games, Toronto combined for 14 in winning three of its last four.
Captain Michael Peca, who leads the Sabres with 11 points, figures to have the difficult task of trying to check Leafs captain Mats Sundin. Sundin is tied with left wing Sergei Berezin for the team lead with nine points.
Berezin scored one goal in each of the last three games against Pittsburgh.
Game Two is Tuesday at Toronto.