Sabres Classics: Hasek, Satan return for Game 3 victory over Toronto

Dwayne Roloson came up big in place of an injured Dominik Hasek in Game 1 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Final. Roloson made 28 saves, enough for the Sabres to claim a 5-4 road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Game 2 without Hasek wasn't quite as smooth. The Maple Leafs scored five goals on their first 22 shots and evened the series with a 6-3 win.

Buffalo's response in Game 3 airs tonight on "Sabres Classics" at 8 p.m. on MSG.

Hasek's status was once again in question due to a groin injury in the days leading up to the game. The Sabres were also hoping for the return of Miroslav Satan, who had been out since the first round against Ottawa due to a foot injury. The New York Times reported that Satan's chances for playing in Game 3 were better than Hasek's. (Spoilers below)

Instead, both dressed and played key roles in a 4-2 victory. Satan put the Sabres on the board early in the second period, erasing a 1-0 deficit.

"Miro, I mean, he's the true epitome of a silent assassin," Michael Peca said. "… To watch that guy on a daily basis do the things he did, I mean he was by far our most gifted offensive player. He could do some special things. But the thing is everybody always talks about his goals. He was probably one of our better penalty killers. He could play in all situations."

Buffalo's two trade deadline acquisitions, Joe Juneau and Stu Barnes, also scored goals during that second period to give the Sabres a 3-1 lead. Barnes' goal was his fourth of the series after going scoreless in 17 regular-season contests with the Sabres.

"The greatest thing about Stu in the playoffs was, from the deadline when he came to us, the rest of the regular season he never scored a goal," Peca recalled. "So, everybody was wondering, what's this guy going to help provide? And then once we got in the playoffs, I mean the guy was absolute money.

"And if anybody knows Stu Barnes, his character is just genuine and solid and even through the rest of that regular season when he wasn't scoring, he was still playing good hockey. He was just a tremendous leader. He had a great attitude, could play in all situations, and just a lot of fun to be around."

The victory gave the Sabres a 2-1 series lead. "Sabres Classics" will air Game 4 of the series on Monday.