Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO SABRES owner Terry Pegula is not your average Penn State alum. Pegula, 60, who sold his natural-gas drilling company to Royal Dutch Shell in 2010 for an estimated $4.7 billion, has strong ties to the Nittany Lions' athletic department. He donated $88 million to his alma mater in September 2010 to fund the construction of a 6,000-seat, on-campus ice arena; the school's men's and women's club hockey programs will rise to the Division I level when it opens in 2013. Yesterday, Pegula spoke out for the first time since the Jerry Sandusky scandal shook Penn State to its core.

BUFFALO - The Flyers allowed three power-play goals in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, saw two of their own goals erased by the referee, and fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2008. No, this isn't how they envisioned the start of the lockout-delayed season. "It's definitely no time to hit the panic button," said defenseman Luke Schenn, who was in the penalty box for two of the Sabres' power-play goals at the sold-out First Niagara Center. "Obviously, you want to get off to a better start . . . but we have a lot of games coming up, and no point dwelling on it. Learn from it and go forward and get better.

ANTTI MIETTINEN scored with 7:36 left to keep the surging Winnipeg Jets in the playoff race with a 2-1 win over the host Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 24 shots, including a huge glove save on Thomas Vanek with 5:45 left to preserve the victory. Winnipeg (24-19-3) improved 6-0-1 in its past seven and moved within a point of the idle New York Rangers, who hold the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot in the final week of the season. Just as important, the Jets also crept to within a point of Southeast Division-leading Washington.

Grant Fuhr just plays it cool. A few hours before a game against the Flyers at the Spectrum last week, Fuhr slipped on his game face. There were no worry wrinkles on that countenance. He must be the most relaxed goaltender in the NHL. Fuhr leans against the dressing room wall and dares you to upset him. Why isn't Fuhr fretting over the fact that the Buffalo Sabres are sending out a shaky defense, one that allowed 13 goals in the first three games? He just chuckles. Isn't he concerned that teammate Alexander Mogilny, one of the NHL's best scorers, is still sidelined with an injured leg and ankle?

Rod Brind'Amour was angry. "This was not Flyers hockey," the club's alternate captain said. "It's not acceptable. " It's acceptable to lose. It's unacceptable to lose without showing up to play. Especially in the playoffs. The Flyers were thoroughly outclassed, outplayed (20 turnovers) and outhustled by the smaller, speedier Buffalo Sabres last night at Marine Midland Arena. The Sabres' 6-1 victory gave them a two-games-to-one lead in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Five groups are interested in buying the NHL's Sabres and keeping them in Buffalo, commissioner Gary Bettman said yesterday, a day after the team's outgoing owner was arrested on fraud charges. Bettman, who did not identify the potential ownership groups, said it was "purely a coincidence" that he was in Buffalo 24 hours after John Rigas and two sons were arrested in connection with the financial meltdown of Adelphia Communications. Bettman said he and Sabres general manager Darcy Regier planned yesterday's meeting "well before" Rigas' arrest.

Delighted to be back in the lineup for tonight's Flyers-Sabres playoff game, Eric Lindros promised to play with his usual bruising style, but cautioned against expecting too much. "I don't work miracles," he said yesterday after racing through a 45- minute workout. Lindros, 22, the Flyers' captain and leading scorer, sat out the first three games of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals with a bruised left eye. "It's been exciting," Lindros said of watching his teammates take a lead of two games to one in the best-of-seven series.

Dominik Hasek looked a mess, rolling around in the crease like a kid going downhill in a barrel, lunging toward shooters like a crab in peril, tossing away his stick as though it was more a nuisance than an aid. That's how you could tell the rubbery Buffalo Sabres goalie was at his double-jointed best. Last night at the noisy MCI Center, Hasek did what his opponents have feared since the Stanley Cup playoffs began six weeks ago: He stole a game, and single-handedly kept the Sabres alive in the Eastern Conference finals as Buffalo pulled out a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

The Buffalo Sabres yesterday traded defenseman Cale Johansson to the Washington Capitals for goalie Clint Malarchuk and defenseman Grant Ledyard. The teams also will exchange undisclosed draft choices. Malarchuk spent five seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before being traded to Washington in 1987. Last season, he played in 54 games and compiled a 3.16 goals-against average. Ledyard had four goals and three assists in 21 games. Johansson, a native of Sweden, played in 71 games with the Sabres last season, collecting 42 points.

Jason Pominville ended a 20-shot first-period barrage against Kevin Weekes with a power-play goal and the visiting Buffalo Sabres beat New Jersey, 2-0, last night. Ryan Miller had 24 saves in registering his second straight shutout, Jaroslav Spacek added two assists, and Patrick Kaleta scored his first goal of the season. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur (bruised elbow) missed the game. In other games: At Uniondale, N.Y., Chris Campoli had his first two goals in nearly a year, the second 3:13 into overtime, and the Islanders beat Columbus, 4-3. At Chicago, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd had two goals each as the Blackhawks beat the Colorado Avalanche.