From: jca2@cec2.wustl.edu (Joseph Charles Achkar)
Subject: Blues lose to Sabres 6-5 in OT  -- 1/3/93
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis MO
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 05:35:53 GMT

1/3/93
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By Jeff Gordon
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff
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    BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres welcomed the Blues to a skating party here
Sunday night at The Aud.

    The Blues should have refused the invitation.

    In a wide-open, sloppy and wholly unpredictable game, the Sabres edged the
Blues 6-5 on Brad May's goal 1 minute 20 seconds into overtime.

    This is not the sort of freewheeling game the Blues could afford to play
here; the explosive Sabres have now scored 111 goals in 20 home games.

    The Blues led 2-0 after one period, trailed 3-2 in the second, trailed 4-3
in the third and led 5-4 in the third. In the waning moments, Brendan
Shanahan's bid for the game-winner sailed high from point-blank range.

    Ultimately, the Blues mishaps cost them. Mental errors led to Randy Wood's
game-tying goal 5:08 into the third period and May's overtime winner.

    ``Go talk to them," furious Blues coach Bob Berry said. ``Ask them where
they were on that last goal. It was frustrating to watch. It's heartbreaking."

    Alexander Mogilny, who scored his 37th and 38th goals of the season, set up
May's goal with a rush in on right wing. With the Blues caught in a line change
-- and Brett Hull trapped in the neutral zone -- Blues netminder Guy Hebert had
no chance.

    He stopped Mogilny, but May converted the rebound.

    ``Look at this goal," Berry said, replaying it on a VCR in anger. ``Where
is Hullie? He's up here. He's up at the red line waiting for a breakaway. In
overtime . . . no respect for the goaltender."

    Hull resented being made the scapegoat on the play.  ``I chipped the puck
out, swung over to the left boards and cleared out," he said. ``I thought we
had control of the puck. Obviously we didn't. I looked over and there were guys
coming on and off over the boards.

    ``I went to the position I thought was best. I'm trying to win the game.
I'm not playing for a tie. I'm tired of ties and losses."

    Wood scored his game-tying goal in the third period on a two-on- one break
that developed when Stephane Quintal stepped in and had his shot from the right
point blocked.

    ``We talked this morning about keeping the puck in deep," Berry said.
``Quintal tries to shoot the puck through a guy and it ends up in the net at
the other end."

    Hebert got his glove on Wood's shot, which was set up by Dale Hawerchuck's
nice cross-ice pass, but the puck popped into the net.

    ``I thought it went up and over the net," Hebert said. ``I don't know how
good of a piece of it I got. Most times it's good enough to make it go over the
net."

    Mishaps like that were the Blues' undoing on a good offensive night in
which they took advantage of some dreadful goaltending by the Sabres' Daren
Puppa and Dominek Hasek.

    Ron Wilson scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season, capitalizing on
nice Igor Korolev and Kelly Chase passes in deep on the first and scoring on a
short-handed breakaway -- set up by Quintal -- on the second.

    Philippe Bozon scored his first goal since Nov. 14, with a long left wing
slap shot that chased Puppa in the third period. Rich Sutter scored his first
goal since Dec. 4, with a long right wing slap shot that greeted Hasek.

    Earlier, Hull scored his fifth goal in three games, on a nifty power-play
deflection of a Nelson Emerson pass. That was his 15th power-play goal of the
season.

    It was a tough night for Hebert, who is the Blues No. 1 goaltender with
Curtis Joseph shelved with a knee injury. On Mogilny's second goal, just eight
seconds into the third period to give Buffalo a 4-3 lead, Hebert thought he had
the shot.

    ``I watched the shot all the way to my hand and pad," Hebert said. ``I was
just waiting for a whistle. That was a bad goal. It never occurred to me to
look over my shoulder to see if the puck was in."

    But Hebert made several brilliant saves, too, as the speedy Sabres played a
high-risk offensive game. They keot the pressure on the Blues . . .and the
Blues kept fouling up.

    ``It's the same mistakes that are killing us," Blues center Ron Sutter
said. ``That's what makes it hard and frustrating."

    The Blues are good enough to compete on the road, but they seem to lack the
discipline and mental toughness to finish teams off.

    ``I don't know . . . we keep finding ways to give teams points," Rich
Sutter said. ``Teams don't have to work very hard to get points from us. They
scored six goals on us, three of them they didn't have to break a sweat to
score them. It's disappointing for the entire team."

    Bob Sweeney and Donald Audette scored the other Sabres goals and Pat
LaFontaine had three assists.

    ``They seem to get a lot of chances throwing it right in front of the net,"
Hebert said. ``A lot tips, screens and deflections, finding a guy all alone."

    On this night, that wasn't very hard to do.

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