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  Friday, Oct. 8 7:00pm ET
Caps' review-free goal sinks Sabres
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Dominik Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres lost to the Washington Capitals on a goal that brought back painful memories.

Alexei Tezikov's game-winner Friday night that gave the Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Sabres was strikingly similar to the controversial play that decided last season's Stanley Cup championship.

Steve Konowalchuk
Washington's Steve Konowalchuk was called for goalie interference on this play, but the Caps had the last laugh Friday.
In Buffalo's first home game since Brett Hull's controversial goal in triple overtime of Game 6 last season gave the Dallas Stars the Stanley Cup, the winner again came with an attacking player in the crease.

This time the rules allowed him to be there, but Sabres goaltender Hasek insisted that Capitals forward Jaroslav Svejkovsky interfered with him on the power-play goal.

"The third goal was questionable," Hasek said. "Before the shot he hit me a little bit. I can say maybe he interfered with me and that's why I didn't make the save, but I have to live with this."

Peter Bondra and Jan Bulis also scored for Washington (1-1), and goaltender Olaf Kolzig made 26 saves. Wayne Primeau and Brian Campbell scored for the Sabres, who are still looking for their first win after a season-opening 2-0 loss to Detroit in which Hasek made 42 saves.

Tezikov, traded by Buffalo to Washington for Joe Juneau last March, scored the game-winner midway through the second period. The goal, which would have been reviewed last season, rattled in off the post.

"They traded me, and maybe they didn't believe in me," said Tezikov, who has played in just six NHL games. "I showed them I can do something; I scored a goal."

Standing in front of the same net where Hull scored his Cup-clincher with a skate in the crease, Hasek slammed his glove against the post and argued that Capitals forward Svejkovsky interfered with him on the play.

A change in the rules prompted by Hull's goal allows an attacking player to be in the crease when a goal is scored as long as the goalie is not interfered with. Svejkovsky stood next to Hasek on the play but did not appear to touch the goaltender.

"We're going to see a lot more of that," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "There's going to be a lot of interesting play around there. You're going to see guys go through the crease and bump the goaltenders now, so you're going to see guys firmly planted in the crease until they start taking a few goals back."

Tezikov's goal would have been reviewed last year. Under this season's rules, on-ice referees make the calls and there are no video replays to decide a man-in-the-crease situation.

"I'm trying to take advantage of the rule," Svejkovsky said. "I don't think (Hasek) has a right to be upset."

The Sabres scored first when Primeau knocked in a loose puck during a scramble in front of Kolzig at 5:56 of the first period.

Peter Bondra tied it at 14:19 on a five-on-three when he batted in Curtis Brown's giveaway. Olaf Kolzig made 10 saves in the first and robbed Michael Peca in front with 2:06 left.

"Kolzig played well and in the third period he didn't have to do too much," Hasek said. "We just didn't create too much in the third period."

Hasek made 25 saves but only three in the third. His 12 saves in the first included big stops with 1:24 on Konowalchuk and Bulis.

Bulis, a native of Hasek's hometown of Pardubice, Czech Republic, put the Capitals up 2-1 at 5:10 of the second period, with a slap shot on the end of a two-on-one that trickled in between Hasek and the near-side post.

"I was a little deep in the net, because there was a player on the left side," Hasek said. "It just hit me under my arm."

Campbell tied it at 7:37 of the second, pushing in Brian Holzinger's rebound, and Tezikov put Washington back in front, 3-2, with the Capitals' second power-play goal.

 


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 Peter Bondra has the nice assist.
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