Rangers Can’t Solve Goaltender

Dominik Hasek stopped 28 shots for his fifth shutout in 11 games this month and second this week over the Rangers leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-0 victory over visiting New York on Friday night. It was his sixth shutout of the season, second only to Ed Belfour’s seven.

Defenseman Jason Woolley scored the only goal Hasek needed in the second period for the Sabres. Dixon Ward made it 2-0 when he scored on a hard slap shot with 5:06 remaining, and Michal Grosek scored into an empty net with 25 seconds left.

Hasek, who has 26 career shutouts, lowered his goals-against average to 2.53 in 32 games this year.

Six of Buffalo’s last eight victories have been by shutout.

After getting off to a slow start this season, Hasek has been a different goalie in his 18 consecutive starts since his return after being benched by Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. Since then, he has a 1.87 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. New York has not beaten him since the third period of a game Nov. 28, a span of 138 minutes, 46 seconds.

Other games

In Greensboro, N.C., former Spokane Chiefs star Ray Whitney scored twice as the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2.

Whitney has 12 goals and 12 assists in 24 games since being claimed off waivers from Edmonton.

Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck earned his 299th career win.

In Detroit, Brendan Shanahan set up two goals, including a milestone by Steve Yzerman, as the Red Wings ran their winning streak to four games by defeating Toronto 4-1.

Shanahan keyed a first-period burst that saw the Red Wings score three times in 9 minutes.

Yzerman’s goal was the 549th of his career, moving him past Michel Goulet into 14th place on the NHL career list.

In East Rutherford, N.J., Randy McKay scored his second goal of the game with 3:08 to play and the New Jersey Devils rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the New York Islanders 4-3. The win gave New Jersey a 3-0 record against the Islanders this season.

Hall of Famer Page dies

Fred Page, inducted in 1993 into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, died at the age of 82 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Page was first vice president of the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1968 to 1972 as well as chairman of hockey for the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

He was president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1966 to 1968. Before his retirment in 1996, he spent 23 years on the executive board of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.