Penguins Finish Off Sabres

BUFFALO, N.Y. â€”  With Mario Lemieux’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Darius Kasparaitis became an unlikely hero.

Kasparaitis scored 13:01 into overtime Thursday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame two one-goal deficits to defeat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“I’ve dreamed about this goal for nine years, you know. And I can’t believe I did it,� said Kasparaitis, whose goal was only the second of his playoff career. “I think I’ll never do it again. I can’t believe I scored a goal.�

The goal didn’t happen the way he always played it out in his mind, but Kasparaitis will take it.

“My dream was to take the puck and beat the whole team by myself,� he said. “It didn’t happen. But that’s a nice goal too.�

The Penguins, who carried much of the play in overtime, finally capitalized on one of their many odd-man breaks.

Robert Lang carried the puck up the right wing and fed a pass to Kasparaitis, who ripped a shot from the top of the left circle that beat goalie Dominik Hasek just inside the far post.

Kasparaitis had only three goals in the regular season.

“I was saying, ‘Oh, no, it’s Kasparaitis . . . oh, yes!’ � Penguin forward Kevin Stevens said. “He can’t score anywhere, that guy. It was a close series, but we have Kaspar.�

The Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals against the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, in a series that begins Saturday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Penguins continue to resemble a team of destiny, as Lemieux has a chance to win the third Stanley Cup of his hall of fame career, which resumed in December after a 3 1/2-year retirement.