Sabres lose big in victory over Oilers

The wins continue piling up for Daniel Briere and the Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo Sabres. And so do the injuries.

Briere scored 62 seconds into overtime to seal a 2-1 win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers last night in a game in which the Sabres lost flashy forward Maxim Afinogenov and rookie Jiri Novotny.

Afinogenov will miss six weeks after breaking his left wrist and Novotny is out indefinitely after aggravating a left ankle injury.

"It's going to make things a lot tougher. We're going to have to dig in," coach Lindy Ruff said. "You've got to grind your way through it."

Afinogenov was hurt late in the second period, when he fell and landed awkwardly. And yet he returned for one more shift to score his 23d goal, tying the game at 1 by converting Thomas Vanek's rebound. Tests taken during the second intermission revealed the break.

Novotny, meanwhile, was hurt with seven minutes left when he twisted his ankle while checking Matt Greene into the end boards. The injuries come a week after Buffalo lost forward Paul Gaustad (torn tendon), who is out for the season, and defenseman Jaroslav Spacek (broken left hand). Spacek is expected to miss about a month.

Ruff was otherwise impressed by the resilience Buffalo showed, rallying from a 1-0 deficit to win its fourth straight -- all decided by one goal -- and sixth in seven games.

"I thought it was a gutsy effort," Ruff said.

Avalanche 7, Flames 5 -- Joe Sakic scored twice, including his 600th career goal, and added three assists to lead visiting Colorado over Calgary.

Milan Hejduk had three goals for the Avalanche; Jarome Iginla and Matthew Lombardi had two goals each for Calgary.

Maple Leafs 4, Flyers 2 -- Mats Sundin had a goal and an assist to help visiting Toronto snap a three-game losing streak.

The Flyers were without captain Peter Forsberg, who was traded to the Nashville Predators before the game.

Rangers 4, Hurricanes 1 -- Karel Rachunek and Michael Nylander each had a goal and assist to lead visiting New York.

Lightning 3, Capitals 2 -- Vincent Lecavalier scored two goals (for a career-high 39) and Martin St. Louis had the lone shootout goal, leading Tampa Bay past visiting Washington.

Ducks 5, Coyotes 4 -- Teemu Selanne scored his second goal on a power play with 3:07 left in overtime, and Anaheim rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat Phoenix in Glendale, Ariz.