head coach: Lindy Ruff

roster: C - Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Eric Rasmussen, Wayne Primeau. LW - Randy Burridge, Miroslav Satan, Michal Grosek, Brad May. RW - Donald Audette, Jason Dawe, Matthew Barnaby, Dixon Ward, Rob Ray. D - Alexei Zhitnik, Darryl Shannon, Jay McKee, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner, Richard Smehlik. G - Dominik Hasek, Steve Shields, Andrei Trefilov.

injuries: None.

transactions: Re-signed Alexei Zhitnik, d, to a one-year contract.

standings:

GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME      ROAD
 3   1   1   1     3    6    8  0-0-0     1-1-1

game results:

10/01 at St. Louis   W 3-1
10/03 at Washington  L 6-2
10/05 at Tampa Bay   T 1-1
10/07 Dallas         L 4-2

team news:

by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

The Sabres started out the season with a three-game road trip. That's usually trouble for any team, but it's even worse for a club with as many personal problems as Buffalo. The Sabres should have their own magazine rack, because they've got a lot of issues.

Despite all the internal strife, the Sabres managed to start the season on a positive note by beating the Blues on opening night in St. Louis, 3-1. As per usual, Dominik Hasek led the way by making 33 saves, including stopping Brett Hull on a breakaway. Jason Dawe, Miroslav Satan, and Dixon Ward provided the goals.

>From St. Louis, the Sabres next traveled to Washington to take on Ron Wilson and the new-look Capitals. This time Hasek alone wasn't enough to insure a win. The Sabres were really the victims of bad timing, as Peter Bondra ended his holdout shortly before the club arrived in town. Bondra scored twice in less than a minute to spark a four-goal third period and lifted the Caps to a 6-2 win. Hasek went the distance in net and yielded all six goals on 34 shots.

The Sabres closed out their tour of duty with a 1-1 tie in Tampa Bay. Jason Dawe and Alexander "Knuckles" Selivanov scored for their respective clubs, while Hasek and Daren Puppa waged quite the goaltending duel. Hasek stopped 30 shots on the night, Puppa 36.

The club returned home on Tuesday, October 7, to make its 1997-98 season debut on Marine Midland Arena ice against the Dallas Stars. Last season's Northeast Division Championship banner was raised to the rafters before the game, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. While the Sabre faithful loved watching the banner get raised, they weren't quite so happy to see the guy that practically carried the team on his back to the title.

Hasek was booed during the pregame ceremony and throughout the night. The Buffalonians still blame Hasek for the firing of head coach Ted Nolan and it doesn't appear as if they're gonna forget anytime soon. As if dealing with the rough reception wasn't enough, Hasek also had to try and cover up several defensive mistakes made by his teammates. He stopped 26 shots on the night, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 4-2 Dallas victory. Fans who came to the game for the sole purpose of booing the Vezina winner got a perfect opportunity when Jere Lehtinen freaked Hasek on a penalty shot with a nifty backhand move. Aw, he made him look silly.

It'll be interesting to see how Hasek gets greeted by the fans the rest of the way. Things will probably get a whole lot worse before they get any better.

* The Sabres re-signed Alexei Zhitnik to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Zhitnik will earn $1.5 million this season. Let's see, that's about a dollar for every giveaway he'll make... Meanwhile, Mike Peca remains a holdout.

* Um, that's about it for now. Our normal Buffalo reporter, Patrick Law, is AWOL at the moment, that's why this report was so lame. I just hope Pat hasn't been kidnapped by Bil Keane, the creator of the "Family Circus" cartoon strip. Lord knows we've had our run-ins with the diabolical drawer in the past. If he even comes near another one of our correspondents, there's gonna be problems. Ya hear me, Mr. Keane? Problems.

RECENT LINEUP

Offense
Randy Burridge/Brian Holzinger/Donald Audette
Miroslav Satan/Derek Plante/Matthew Barnaby
Michal Grosek/Erik Rasmussen/Jason Dawe
Rob Ray/Wayne Primeau/Dixon Ward

Defense
Mike Wilson/Darryl Shannon
Mike McKee/Bob Boughner
Mike Hurlbut/Richard Smehlik

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