Buffalo Sabres

Who: Flyers (30-16-9) vs. Buffalo Sabres (30-22-6) When: 7 o'clock Where: Wachovia Center TV: Comcast SportsNet Radio: WIP (610-AM)  

Losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to free agency was bad enough. The Buffalo Sabres weren't going to let high-scoring youngster Thomas Vanek get away at any price. Without hesitation, the Sabres signed Vanek to a 7-year, $50 million contract yesterday, matching the offer the player received from the Edmonton Oilers. Vanek becomes one of the NHL's top-paid players entering only his third year, and after he led Buffalo with 43 goals and finished 20th in the league with 84 points last season.

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.

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.

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.

On paper, the Flyers have the advantage in size, strength, experience and marquee names. And by almost 2 to 1, they have the thicker wallets and more impressive financial portfolios. The Buffalo Sabres? They have the premier goalie, Dominik Hasek, and the, uh, well, that's it. But that's just on paper. On the ice, the Sabres seem to have something the Flyers have been groping for all season. It's often called chemistry, togetherness, camaraderie. It's that hard-to-define quality that allows teams to rise above their deficiencies, and it can be as dangerous to an opponent as a high stick.

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.

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?