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Sabres keep postseason hopes alive, tip Leafs

Apr 2, 2008 - 4:07 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Maxim Afinogenov and the Buffalo Sabres live to fight another day.

Afinogenov scored the winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout to lead Buffalo to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

With the win, the Sabres (38-30-12) avoided being eliminated for the second straight game and moved to within three points of the Boston Bruins (40-28-11) and Philadelphia Flyers (40-28-11) - a pair of clubs holding down seventh and eighth place in the East.

"It's definitely nerve-wracking when you know your backs are up against the wall," Buffalo's Jason Pominville said.

Buffalo, which has reached the Eastern Conference finals in each of the past two seasons, won the Presidents' Trophy last season. Only two other teams in the expansion era (1967-68) have missed the playoffs the year after posting the league's best record.

Afinogenov kept Buffalo from joining that group when he beat Andrew Raycroft in the sixth round of the shootout.

"I just tried to get speed and tried to do the move that was in my mind already," Afinogenov said.

Goaltender Ryan Miller was fooled on Toronto's first attempt of the shootout, coming far out of the crease and failing to get back and cover the net on All-Star defenseman Tomas Kaberle's goal to open the bonus format.

"I saw the first shot that went in and then I didn't watch after that," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.

Miller stiffened thereafter, stopping the next five Toronto shooters while Ales Kotalik scored to lead off the shootout for Buffalo.

"That was one that we absolutely needed," Miller said. "And I was happy to come through. We're alive for another couple of days."

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Buffalo leveled the contest on a goal by Steve Bernier 9:18 into the session. Alex Steen scored with just under eight minutes remaining to put Toronto back on top, but Thomas Vanek answered with a power-play goal 2 1/2 minutes later to forge a 3-3 tie.

"We need huge goals at the end of periods and games and (Vanek) stepped up and did that for us," Buffalo center Derek Roy said.

Miller finished with 19 saves for Buffalo, which plays its final two games on the road, where it has won 10 of its last 14.

"He (Raycroft) saved around 40 shots, he played a pretty solid game," Toronto's Alexei Ponikarovsky said. "He made some key saves for us, tough luck in the shootout."