NHL
Third line giving Sabres chances
by MATT KRUEGER Reporter

Buffalo winger Thomas Vanek gets tied up with New York's Andy Hibert (11) and Bruno Gervais (8) during the Sabres' 3-2 loss in Game Two of the Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday night at HSBC Arena. Photo by Mike Lynaugh

They might only have one goal between the three of them through the first three games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Derek Roy, Maxim Afinogenov and Thomas Vanek have been giving the Buffalo Sabres more of an offensive boost than any other line on the ice.

By utilizing Afinogenov's speed and play-making ability, Vanek's presence in front of the net and Roy's set-up skills, Buffalo's third line has been creating plenty of scoring chances against the New York Islanders and giving goalies, Wade Dubielewicz and Rick DiPietro all they can handle.

The trio combined for 10 of Buffalo's 34 shots on goal in the 3-2 loss in Game Two Saturday, including seven in the busy second period.

"We're just trying to get the puck to the net, move our feet, move the puck along and get some shots," Roy said. "I think with a few bounces here and there, we could have had a few (Saturday)."

When things looked bleak for the Sabres in the closing minutes of the first period, it was Afinogenov and Vanek creating pressure on the net, allowing defenseman Toni Lydman to score on a blast from the point with 1:02 left. Vanek and Afinogenov assisted.

That pressure continued in the second period, as the R-A-V line created scoring chances the other lines couldn't seem to manufacture. Of Buffalo's 24 shots on goal in the first two periods, nine of them came from R-A-V, with Afinogenov and Vanek taking four each.

"We've been getting a lot of chances to put it in, but it wasn't going our way (Saturday)," Afinogenov said.

Roy, Afinogenov and Vanek may not have dotted the scoring sheet in Game One Thursday night, but that line was the most aggressive in the even first period. The trio gave Wade Dubielewicz all he could handle and began the momentum shift toward the Buffalo side.

The R-A-V line had six shots on goal in the the 4-1 victory, but had a great shift in the second period that kick-started Buffalo's offense. Soon after, the Sabres broke the 1-1 tie and took control of the rest of the game. Roy, Afinogenov and Vanek provided the spark the team needed.

In Monday's 3-2 win in Game Three, the line took a less offensive role with only four shots on goal, but contributed to the scoring effort with Vanek's wraparound goal in the second period. Roy and Afinogenov both assisted on the play, which was originally called a save, but overturned after a replay.

But is it really any surprise this line has been creating pressure in the offensive zone? During the regular season, it was the best line on the team, maybe the best line in the league.

Vanek led the team with 43 goals this year, while Roy had 21 and Afinogenov had 23, despite missing six weeks with a broken wrist. Vanek's plus-47 was the best in the NHL, while Roy was fifth at plus-37.

"They're two great players," Roy said of his linemates. "Vanek is the young guy, who sees the ice well and has a great shot. Max has that explosive speed and he's created so much offense. On the other side, we're tightening up defensively and playing well at both ends."

During Afinogenov's time on the injured list, rookie Drew Stafford was added to the line and thrived with Roy and Vanek. Thanks to their help and his own drive, Stafford scored 13 goals and had 14 assists in 41 games.

When Afinogenov returned from his six-week layoff, coach Lindy Ruff decided to pull Stafford off the line to reinsert last year's team-leading scorer.

But things haven't all been rosy for the third line in the playoffs. Afinogenov's hooking penalty on former teammate Miroslav Satan in the third period Saturday, led to Marc-Andre Bergeron's game-winning goal on the ensuing power play. While the replay clearly showed Satan holding Afinogenov's stick, only the Sabre got a penalty. And he took responsibility for it.

"It was my mistake," Afinogenov said. "There's nothing you can do there. I hooked the guy. When you get a penalty at that time of the game, it's tough."

"Don't put your stick there," Ruff said when questioned about the penalty. "It doesn't matter. If you put your stick there, you're asking for a penalty. The rule is don't put your stick in a guy's midsection. I don't care whether Miro grabbed it or not. You can call Miro for holding the stick, but you still call Max for hooking."

Afinogenov redeemed himself in Game Three by forcing two penalties.

Late in the second period, Afinogenov charged through the neutral zone, split the defense and drew a two-minute slashing penalty from Bergeron and a four-minute high-sticking penalty from Tom Poti. With a five-on-three advantage, Daniel Briere scored the game winner.

Buffalo plays New York in Game Four Wednesday night.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com