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Behind red-hot Vanek, Sabres aim for second straight win

Feb 21, 2008 - 2:12 PM Buffalo (29-23-8) at Toronto (25-27-9) 7:30 pm EST

TORONTO (Ticker) - Fresh off his first career natural hat trick, Thomas Vanek will look to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a second straight win when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Vanek, who has 12 goals in his last 11 games, scored the final three goals on Wednesday as the Sabres posted a 4-3 overtime victory against Tampa Bay.

The 25-year-old scored twice in a 36-second span to tie the game, and then scored 2:25 into overtime to help Buffalo snap a two-game skid.

"It feels great," said Vanek, who scored just 13 goals in the first 49 games. "I've worked hard for this. I've waited a long time to get on a streak like this. It's finally coming. I'm hoping I can stay on top of my game from here on out."

Vanek, who also had a hat trick in 5-1 win against Ottawa on February 12, is a major reason why the Sabres are 9-2-2 in their last 13 games and suddenly a factor in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

With 66 points, Buffalo is in a three-way tie for seventh with Boston (30-23-6) and Philadelphia (30-24-6). Additionally, the New York Islanders (29-25-7) are lurking in 10th place with 65 points.

Buffalo is at its best when its leading scorer gets on the board, posting a 14-6-1 when Vanek scores, and 19-9-2 mark when he records a point.

Vanek will look to continue his hot play against the Maple Leafs, who have won two straight. Nik Antropov scored his team-leading 21st goal and Vesa Toskala stopped 26 shots as Toronto posted a 3-1 win over Columbus on Tuesday.

Antropov has three goals in the last five games and will look to lead the Maple Leafs to a third straight win for the first time since January 15-19.