LeClair Solves Sabres’ Hasek to Help Flyers Rally for a Tie

When John LeClair scored his second goal of the game with 1:49 left in the third period to lift Philadelphia into a 2-2 tie with visiting Buffalo, no one was more appreciative than teammate John Vanbiesbrouck.

“He came through in a big way,” Philadelphia’s goaltender said Tuesday night after the Flyers maintained their two-point lead over the Sabres in the race for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

“Johnny’s poised with the puck,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “The guys that are poised are going to beat Dominik.”

“Dominik,” of course, is Dominik Hasek, the brilliant Buffalo goaltender who stopped 31 shots. LeClair, in fact, is the only Philadelphia player to solve Hasek over a span of 181:47 covering more than three games.

“Hasek is a fabulous goalie,” Vanbiesbrouck said, “but guys like Johnny make him a little leery. He’s got a good stick, he tips pucks, and goes to the backhand a lot.”

LeClair’s first goal, which gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead only 57 seconds into the game, snapped Hasek’s 86:52 shutout string against the Flyers.

Richard Smehlik and Erik Rasmussen each had a goal and assist for Buffalo, which was outshot, 33-15.

Tampa Bay 2, Montreal 2--Pavel Kubina scored the tying goal with 5:51 left in the third period as the Lightning tied the Canadiens at Tampa, Fla.

Kubina’s wrist shot from between the blue line and the top of the circle deflected off goalie Jeff Hackett into the net.

Brian Savage had given Montreal a 2-1 lead at 12:24 of the third period, lifting a rebound backhander over Derek Wilkinson.

Hackett, sidelined the past four games by a hip injury, had 20 saves.

Wilkinson, recalled from Cleveland of the IHL last Thursday, stopped 25 shots. He made a strong save on Shayne Corson’s third-period backhander.

The teams traded first-period goals. Darcy Tucker’s 21st goal put the Lightning ahead, 1-0, at 7:07. Turner Stevenson’s breakaway goal tied the score, 1-1.

NHL Notes

The Colorado Avalanche signed Swedish superstar center Peter Forsberg to a three-year, $30-million contract, making him the NHL’s highest-paid player in terms of average annual salary. Forsberg will be paid $9 million next season, $10 million in the 2000-01 season and $11 million in 2001-02. He is fourth in the league with 97 points in 75 games and second with 67 assists. His 30 goals match a career high for the four-time all-star. He is three points shy of his second 100-point season and has points in 22 of his last 23 games.