| | BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Where's Dominik Hasek? Don't look among the
NHL's statistical leaders for the two-time league MVP and best
goaltender in five of the last six seasons.
The 1998 Olympic gold medalist? Has anybody seen him?
|
HASEK IN '99
|
|
OPP
|
GA
|
SAVES
|
SV PCT.
|
|
Detroit
|
2
|
42
|
.955
|
|
Washington
|
3
|
25
|
.893
|
|
Atlanta
|
4
|
17
|
.810
|
|
Phoenix
|
2
|
32
|
.941
|
|
Montreal
|
2
|
32
|
.941
|
|
Nashville
|
2
|
6
|
.750
|
|
Ottawa
|
4
|
31
|
.886
|
This was supposed to be a farewell victory tour for Hasek, who
plans to retire at the end of the season and return to his native
Czech Republic.
But so far, this season has been a gauntlet for the Sabres
goaltender, who is winless (0-4-1).
"Of course, it's frustrating when you lose a game," Hasek said. "I haven't won a game yet, and it's very frustrating not
to win."
Hasek, benched for two games and pulled from two others, is not
even the league's top Dom this season; that honor belongs to
Anaheim's Dominic Roussel.
Hasek is not the only Sabres player who suddenly seems to have
forgotten which end of the stick to use, however.
"Going through the playoffs last year, we were in a zone where
we had every guy playing so well and zoned right in," coach Lindy
Ruff said. "Right now, there are times in every game where it
seems like every guy is zoned right out."
Coming off a season in which he carried the Sabres to the
Stanley Cup finals, Hasek has struggled to compile a modest 3.20
GAA and .907 save percentage. Last year's numbers
in those two categories, 1.87 and .937, were the best of Hasek's
illustrious career despite a nagging groin injury.
Now, it's the questions that are nagging.
Who will start the next game? Hasek is no longer a given. "I'm
not announcing my starting goaltender for Wednesday," Ruff said.
Ruff and the Sabres don't blame Hasek. The Sabres (1-6-2) have
not played well. When they have, bad luck has tripped them.
Buffalo was tied by Phoenix in the final seconds by a pinball of
a shot that deflected off defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and crept
underneath Hasek's glove.
And take Saturday's 4-0 loss to Ottawa. Please.
"It was just a mental state we were in," said Ruff, whose team
swept the Senators from the playoffs last season but was outshot by
Ottawa over the weekend -- 30-9 after two periods and 35-19 overall.
"Players weren't in the right position," Ruff said. "The
careless turnovers is probably what cost us the game in the first
period. Those are the plays that kill you, and we probably had
20-plus turnovers against a great transition team."
|  | | Martin Biron has earned Buffalo's sole win thus far. |
The Sabres haven't played well with Hasek in goal or on the
bench.
"We played pretty well against Phoenix and were tied on a
bizarre goal," Ruff said. "We played all right in Montreal -- Dom
played well there -- and we lost that 2-1 with no offense. This is a
strange game."
The solution is not obvious to Ruff. "We've tried early
practices, late practices, long videos, short videos, positive
videos, negative videos. You try everything."
Martin Biron, Hasek's heir apparent, posted the only win of the
season Friday night after being called up from the team's AHL
affiliate in Rochester.
Biron, who beat Carolina 7-3, employs Hasek's flopping style.
"I still look at Dom the same way I looked at him last year,"
Biron said. "You always get in a situation where it doesn't go
your way, but that comes back." | |
ALSO SEE
Brian's Barometer: Sabres need to lift Hasek
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