No Hasek, no problem

Toronto
Maple Leafs

It didn't matter, though, as the Sabres scored five times for a 5-4 victory and early lead in the series. Dwayne Roloson played well in the net and Geoff Sanderson had a goal and an assist.

"I don't have to be 100 percent to be in the game. I have to be able to go up and down," said Hasek. "I'm not able to make the butterfly save and get all the rebounds because the pain is so big. I hoped it'd get better during a couple of days off. Unfortunately, it didn't get better, it got worse."

Dwayne Roloson only had 19 minutes of playoff experience before Sunday's game. He proved well worthy his first playoff start making 28 saves.

"I sort of knew what was happening last night but wasn't sure really until this morning," Roloson said. "I've been sitting on the bench a little over a month now, so it's tough to go in there. I was just trying to get ready and do whatever it takes for us to win. I felt a lot better in the third. Hopefully, if I get the chance on Tuesday, I'll be ready for it."

Geoff Sanderson scored the game-winning goal in the third period with a spectacular effort. He got the puck on Toronto's blue line and fighting off a check by Sylvain Cote flipped the puck in the net with one hand.

Mats Sundin had two goals and an assist and Berard broke out of a slump with a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs, who host Game Two on Tuesday.

"We made a lot of mistakes," said Toronto captain Mats Sundin. "When you come to the playoffs you can't afford that. We had a game plan to put a lot of pucks on net, but we shot ourselves in the foot instead. We had all the chances to win and we didn't."