It was Drury who scored the overtime winner against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 26, 2006. The next game was also against the Rangers in Buffalo. Drury scored the tying goal with 9:58 remaining in the third period, setting the stage for a shootout victory.
When the Sabres trailed Vancouver, 3-2, on Jan. 19, Drury scored the tying goal with 40 seconds remaining. The Sabres won that game in a shootout, too.
"He had a strong character," Afinogenov said. "A fighter … A warrior! That's it. He was fighting until the end all the time and never gave up."
Afinogenov, meanwhile, scored a career-high 23 goals in 2006-07 despite only playing 56 games. His average of 1.09 points per game ranked 20th in the NHL and second on the Sabres behind Briere.
The Sabres opened the playoffs against the New York Islanders and took the series in five games. Drury led the Sabres with four goals in the series, including two in the tone-setting Game 1 victory. They advanced to face the Rangers, who had swept their quarterfinal series with Atlanta.
Buffalo took the first two games at home, but New York took Game 3 at MSG in double overtime and then evened the series with a 2-1 victory in Game 4. The set up a crucial Game 5 in Buffalo, with the series lead on the line. It turned out to be a classic.