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  Friday, Oct. 13 9:00pm ET
Hasek stops 34 shots in loss
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Even when Dominik Hasek isn't at full strength, you have to be nearly perfect to get a puck in the net.

The Edmonton Oilers pulled off just the right play as Bill Guerin scored with 2:02 left to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory Friday night over the Buffalo Sabres.

Stu Barnes
Jason Smith sends Buffalo's Stu Barnes into the boards Friday.

"We found a way to get to him," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "But it had to be absolutely tic-tac-toe passing."

Guerin took a short pass from Ryan Smyth while cutting alone toward the net and backhanded a shot over Hasek, who returned after missing one game with a knee injury.

"It's always tough getting the puck by him," Guerin said. "We knew we had to bear down and get the puck to the net."

The goal came less than a minute after Dave Andreychuk tied it 2-2 for the Sabres, putting home a rebound after Tommy Salo stopped Maxim Afinogenov's shot.

Smyth, who finished with a goal and two assists, gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead at 13:58 of the third. He executed a perfect give-and-go with Guerin, redirecting Guerin's return feed into an open net.

"Smitty did a great job squeezing by the guy against the wall and driving the net," Guerin said. "I'm not known for my passing abilities."

Doug Weight also scored for the Oilers.

Curtis Brown had the other goal for the Sabres.

Brown gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead 4:35 in. Salo stopped Alexei Zhitnik's shot, but Brown was there to tap the rebound under the goalie's pads.

Weight tied it less than two minutes later. With Hasek pressed tight against the post, Smyth took a few whacks at the puck before it squirted loose for Weight, who swooped in and scored.

The line of Smyth, Guerin and Weight has combined for 17 points in five games this season.

"We're playing as a unit out there," Smyth said. "We're not being selfish. We're going hard to the net and we're being creative."

Edmonton had several good opportunities to take the lead in the second period, but Hasek made 16 saves, including several from point-blank range with the Sabres down two men for 1:30.

He finished with 34 saves.

"Dom played fabulous," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He kept us in the game."

Even with that, the Sabres couldn't get the offense going.

"We were too much on the perimeter," Ruff said. "We didn't generate many shots. Lots of good zone time, but nobody wanted to shoot the puck. And when we did shoot it, they blocked it."

Game notes
Hasek had just 12 minutes of ice time going into the game after hurting his knee in Buffalo's season opener on Oct. 5. ... The Oilers were 0-for-6 on the power play and are 1-for-26 this season.
 


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