Mike Richter had fallen out of the fraternity that represented the National Hockey League's most feared goaltenders. Over the last few years, the team with the highest payroll in hockey - the New York Rangers - was missing the playoffs, and their net minder was shouldering much of the blame.
Well Mike, welcome back.
Richter stopped 47 of 49 shots Tuesday night as his Rangers came from behind to earn a 2-2 tie with the Buffalo Sabres before 15,656 fans at HSBC Arena. Richter, who came into the game red hot in the month of November with a 7-1-0 record and a 2.25 goals against average, was the difference, helping his club steal a point as they fight with the New York Islanders for first place in the Atlantic Division.
"They were saying last week that Richter's record when he gets 40 or more shots is like 25-3 or something," Sabres goaltender Martin Biron said. "So that tells you one thing, he's really good when he gets peppered."
"Richter gets my vote for U.S. Olympic goalie," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. "He was fabulous. I thought our effort, especially down low, totally dominated [the Rangers]."
Although Richter was the hero, it was a play that took place at the other end of the ice that was ultimately responsible for the Rangers earning a point in the game.
Forward Michael York buried a beautiful saucer pass from captain Mark Messier through Biron's five-hole with just 8.5 ticks left in regulation to even the contest at two. The goal was York's 10th of the season, and capped off a span of furious Ranger pressure that lasted for nearly an entire minute.
New York had pulled Richter in favor of an extra skater and York was battling with Sabres defenseman Jay McKee for position in front of the Buffalo net. Messier took possession of the puck behind the Buffalo goal and McKee drifted towards him. York saw the separation, backed into the slot unguarded, and Messier found him with the pass.
"My shoulder came off the post, [Messier] made a pass between me and the post and it was in the back of the net, that's tough to swallow," McKee said. "Messier has made a living making great plays [behind the net] and he did it again tonight."
Each team traded missed opportunities as the clubs played the five-minute, four-on-four overtime session. Sabres forward Maxim Afinogenov fired a slap shot that managed to squeak through the arm and body of Richter, but the puck trickled inches wide of the left goalpost. The Rangers immediately took the puck down ice, but winger Theoren Fleury was foiled by Biron on a rebound chance following a long slap shot.
The contest featured goals, goaltending, hard hits, and yes ... fights. Sabres winger Rob Ray and Rangers forward Steve McKenna squared off twice on the night, with Ray taking McKenna to the ice in each duel. Buffalo's Eric Boulton and New York's Sandy McCarthy had the best scrap of the night, however, as the two warriors fought for nearly two minutes before the linesmen finally separated them.
Sabres winger Denis Hamel scored the first goal of the game, his first of the year, at the 6:48 mark of the opening period. Hamel took advantage of a giveaway by Rangers defenseman Igor Ulanov, went in alone on Richter, and beat him on the breakaway high to the glove side.
The clubs traded second-period goals as Buffalo's J.P. Dumont scored midway through the period to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead, but Eric Lindros countered with just six seconds remaining to give the Rangers momentum heading into the third.
Dumont's goal, scored when Buffalo had a two-man advantage, was a deflection of a slap shot by James Patrick. Lindros tallied by chipping in a loose puck in front of the net after Biron had blocked a pass by Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch.
Before Dumont's goal, Sabres forward Miroslav Satan had a goal disallowed during the two-man advantage. Referee Kerry Fraser felt that Maxim Afinogenov was interfering with a fallen Richter as Satan's shot sailed into the net. However, it appeared that Afinogenov was being forced into the crease by Rangers defenseman Thomas Kloucek.
"It's definitely a goal," Ruff said of the play. "[Afinogenov] just gets pounded into the net. I think if Kerry watched it again, he would agree too."
Coming into Wednesday night's contest with the Washington Capitals the Sabres were winless in their last two games.
The world can turn on a dime in the NHL.
With Buffalo's 5-2 win over Washington at the MCI Center they have now lost just once in their last five games.
Satan scored the game winner in the second period when his wrist shot from the left circle found the five-hole of Caps goalie Olaf Kolzig.
Afinogenov, winger Slava Kozlov, McKee, and captain Stu Barnes had the other tallies for the Sabres. Kem Klee and Peter Bondra scored for Washington.
The Sabres will tangle with former-captain Michael Peca Saturday night when they travel to face the Islanders at 7. (Empire, WNSA-FM 107.7)
