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The Buffalo Sabres: They're not just Dominik anymore. Slovakian winger Miroslav Satan is emerging as bona fide leader in Buffalo, and his chosen method of communication almost always involves a red light.
The Buffalo Sabres agreed to contract terms with Miroslav Satan, their leading point-scorer last year, but they have a more pressing need -- Alexei Zhitnik.
Despite the fact that winger Miroslav Satan was Buffalo's leading goal scorer in the regular season, as the 1997-98 campaign comes to a close, one has to wonder if the Slovak forward fits into the future plans of Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff.
The Buffalo Sabres relied on their number-one-ranked power play in the first two rounds of the playoffs, connecting at an astounding 25 percent (14-for-56).
Despite new rules designed to increase offense, scoring is down in the NHL. Just ask Miroslav Satan, Buffalo's leading scorer last year.
Despite the fact that Miroslav Satan finished the regular season as the Buffalo Sabres' leading goal and point getter, he had been given little ice time in Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia.
Times have been tough of late for Sabres winger Miroslav Satan. Despite the fact that he remains Buffalo's leading goal scorer through 68 games, Satan is having difficulty finding the back of the net on a consistent basis.
Edmonton Oilers left wing Miroslav Satan was named the National Hockey League Rookie of the Month for March.
Dave Reichert
02/23/1999
The Buffalo Sabres: They're not just Dominik anymore.
Slovakian winger Miroslav Satan is emerging as bona fide leader in Buffalo, and his chosen method of communication almost always involves a red light.
Entering Buffalo's Feb. 24 clash at Calgary, Satan leads the team in goals with 26 and for the first time in his NHL career finds himself in double digits (plus-10) on the plus/minus chart. The talented 24-year-old scorer has already surpassed his career high of 22 goals set last season.
Things have not always gone so well for Satan, even in Buffalo. After being exiled from Edmonton for a perceived lack of work ethic, he got a shot with the Sabres at the tail end of the 1996-97 season. As usual, he was dandy around the opponents' net, potting eight goals in 12 games. Despite the offensive output (he also had two assists), he was just plus-2, underscoring the problems he had as an Oiler.
In 1997-98, Satan again lit the lamp with the best of the Sabres, finishing second on the team in goals. But he still ended up a healthy scratch from Head Coach Lindy Ruff's lineup for a few games down the stretch, due to -- surprise -- a lack of consistent effort in both ends of the ice that drew the ire of the Sabres' coaching staff.
This season, Satan has seen extensive ice time in all game situations: power play, penalty killing, as well as a regular turn at even strength. The gifted forward's point totals are growing with each game, along with his confidence.
"It's nice to be scoring goals," Satan told EuroReport recently. "The most important thing though is that the team is getting back on track and I want to help the team in any way I can."
Helping he is -- in every way he can. Satan has been the key to the Sabres' offensive attack throughout the season, but his contributions can be seen in each area of his game.
"I have to try to make the most of each opportunity that I have," said Satan. "The hard work is paying off for me, I have some luck too, but my success has come as a result of having more time on the ice. Good things have been happening for me."
Good things are indeed happening for Satan, and his newly found work ethic has caught Ruff's eye.
"It's his play in all areas that making the difference for us," noted Ruff. "Special teams and even strength, he's playing really hard."
Despite the all-round improvements, Satan's still grabbing the biggest headlines with his sniping. He nabbed his first-ever NHL Player of the Week award for his efforts from Feb. 14-21, totaling seven points (4-3-7) in four outings, overshadowing his solid -- not to mention NHL-best -- plus-8. The offense helped him build a six-game goal-scoring streak (6-4-10) that he'll put on the line Wednesday against the Flames.
Not bad, but he's already done better this season. Satan potted 11 pucks during an NHL season-best eight-game goal streak that ended on 2 Jan.
Offensive exploits aside, Satan truly appreciates the faith that Ruff has shown in him this season. His belief in his own abilities has grown, as the coaching staff has displayed more confidence in him.
"I want to pay back," said Satan. "To the coaches, to my teammates, and to the fans. When the coaches show that trust in you, you have to give something back to the team. They deserve my best and I want to give that."
With the Sabres limited offensive output, goals are often at a premium. Satan is counted upon to deliver goals at key times.
"Miro was really hot for quite some time," said Ruff. "He cooled of for a bit, now he's starting to get hot again. He's a typical goal scorer, sometimes they go in in bunches. We need a maximum effort from him. We need him firing on all cylinders and he's playing hard."
Satan realizes that his team is relying on him to come through when games are on the line. He clearly seems comfortable with the leadership role he has assumed and is anxious to deliver on the confidence shown in him.
"I feel that my teammates expect a certain level of play from me," said Satan. "I'm one of the guys that should be there for the team when they need a goal. Those are the times when I'm trying to be there for the team.
"We didn't do much winning in the last month and we want to get back to playing the way we were at the beginning of the season. We have to play with more desperation. We're in an important stretch of games and we have to play our best. The points are very important now. We have to be ready."
Whether they involve scoring goals or simply playing hard, Miroslav Satan appears ready for the challenges ahead.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- The Buffalo Sabres agreed to contract terms with
Miroslav Satan, their leading point-scorer last year, but they have a more
pressing need -- Alexei Zhitnik.
"Where's he going to fit in?" Sabres forward Rob Ray asked about
Satan. "We need Zhitnik back -- badly. He adds another dimension back there
on defense."
Satan, 23, signed a one-year deal for a reported $850,000. The 6-foot-1 left
wing produced last season, scoring 22 goals and adding 24 assists.
"Miroslav is a guy that's going to score goals for us," Buffalo coach
Lindy Ruff said. "He's a young player still learning how to pay the price
shift in and shift out. The one thing that bothered me was his competitiveness
game in and game out."
Satan enters his fourth NHL campaign, after playing most of his first two
seasons with Edmonton. He has played 217 games in his career, scoring 65 goals.
by Dave Reichert
06/09/1998
BUFFALO -- Despite the fact that winger Miroslav Satan was Buffalo's leading goal scorer in the regular season, as the 1997-98 campaign comes to a close, one has to wonder if the Slovak forward fits into the future plans of Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff.
In the pivotal Game 6 of Buffalo's Eastern Conference final series with the Washington Capitals, the Sabres were facing elimination. When the Sabres took the ice, however, Satan was nowhere to be found.
Taking his spot in the lineup was hard working enforcer Paul Kruse. Due in part to injury, Kruse had not made an appearance in the Buffalo lineup since the regular season came to a conclusion in mid April. Kruse had been sitting on the sidelines for several weeks awaiting a chance.
It seemed odd that Kruse would get his opportunity during the Sabres most important contest of the post-season. It also seemed odd that Ruff chose to scratch Satan, who had an NHL-best four power-play goals in the post-season -- at a time when Buffalo had been lacking consistent scoring throughout the series with the Caps.
"The line of [Craig] Berube and [Dale] Hunter had dominated us at times," explained Ruff. "They had turned the momentum in our building a few times There's a couple of intimidating guys on the line and we were having problems finding someone to play against them. It was a tough decision to take Satan out, but it gave us a line (Keith Primeau, Rob Ray and Kruse) that could neutralize them and at least not give them any momentum."
Satan was a healthy scratch several times during the regular season under coach Ruff, despite the fact that he paced the Sabres in goals for most of the year. Having a couple of extra forwards available on the roster made for some healthy competition in the player ranks, which Ruff often used to his advantage.
Despite Satan's offensive contribution, he was singled out for his lack of consistent two-way play on several occasions. That situation again became a problem in the playoffs, as the 23-year-old sniper posted a team-worst minus-9, and perhaps played his way out of Buffalo in the process.
by Jenny Chung
Special to the EuroReport
06/02/1998
BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres relied on their number-one-ranked power play in the first two rounds of the playoffs, connecting at an astounding 25 percent (14-for-56). But against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Finals, Buffalo's power play has fallen to a dismal 8.7 percent (2-for-23), and the Sabres are on the brink of elimination after Saturday's 2-0 loss gave the Caps a commanding 3-1 series lead.
For Miroslav Satan, Buffalo's leading scorer in the regular season and a power play specialist, the Sabres' anemic offense against Washington has been a personal frustration. Although Satan is tied for first in the NHL with four man-advantage goals in the playoffs, he has only one goal in the series, which is surprising for the right winger who has enjoyed great success against the Caps in the regular season. In four games this season, he was Buffalo's leading scorer against Washington with four goals, including a hat trick in the teams' last regular season meeting on 1 March.
Part of the problem is Satan's diminishing ice time on even-strength and his ever-changing cast of linemates. In an attempt to spark some offensive life against Washington, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has shifted Satan back and forth between the first line with Brian Holzinger and Donald Audette and the fourth line with Wayne Primeau and Rob Ray.
Nothing has worked.
And for a player whose main purpose is to score goals, and who would rather shoot than pass the puck, you have to wonder how frustrating it is to be smothered by Washington's stellar penalty killing and goaltending.
In Game 2, Satan scuffled with rugged Caps left wing Chris Simon and delivered a blow to Simon's face with the top end of his stick. No penalty was called, but after a review of the incident Satan was fined U.S. $1,000 for the butt-end.
Interestingly, Satan's most vocal supporter is his idol and former NHLer, Peter Stastny. When reached at his St. Louis home, Stastny told EuroReport that he expected more from the young sniper who scored nine goals for Slovakia at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.
"I was surprised that Miroslav finished as low as he did in the regular season (Satan had 22 goals and 24 assists for 46 points)," said Stastny. "But I wasn't surprised that he was the best scorer on the team. Still, it was a little low for him."
Unbeknownst to Satan, Stastny even did a little bit of lobbying and behind-the-scenes coaching for his young countryman. "I know it's the way Miro's being used. I remember talking to the GM of Buffalo, Darcy Regier, at the first game here in St. Louis, and I was asking about Miroslav. We were watching from upstairs, and I said to him, 'You know Miroslav's the type of player who has to play, he has to have the right people around him, because he'll make them better and he'll contribute more to the team. He needs more ice time.' And Darcy said, 'I'll talk to the coach about it.' And what happened, immediately after the game, the guy from the first line got injured. So they put Miroslav on the first line--he went from the fourth line to the first line. And he scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winning goal. He got two points and Buffalo won 3-1."
Stastny chuckled when he recalled that conversation. "Yeah, that was my idea. I knew he could always do it. Miro can find those moments and create those opportunities. That's what I saw when I trained with him before the 1994 Olympics."
Told of what Stastny had said to Regier, Satan laughed and said, "Can I show this to the coach?"
But he quickly turned serious with regard to Stastny's remarks about his low point total.
"What can I say?" the 23-year-old Satan asked rhetorically. "I agree with Peter. Forty-six points is not a lot. I thought before the season I could do more if I played regularly. But some games I played less than ten minutes. For a couple of weeks, I was on the fourth line, and you don't get points on the fourth line very often. I'd be happy if they used me more, but I'm not the one deciding who's going to play. Very often my linemates are changing. I don't really care, but I've played with everybody already."
In a series that features two other extraordinarily talented goal-scoring Slovaks --the Caps' Peter Bondra and Richard Zednik, who combined for all four goals in Game 3 -- the discussion naturally turned to Slovakia and Stastny's influence on young Slovak and Czech hockey players eager to play in the NHL.
"I think Peter was the biggest influence," said Satan. "He was the guy to look up to. Nobody could talk about him when I was growing up because he defected. We couldn't say anything about Peter Stastny in public. Everybody had to pretend that he didn't exist, except that we all knew about him through Voice of America. Everybody knew he was doing really well with his brothers in the NHL, and after the system fell, he was able to play for us."
Satan recalled meeting the man no one could talk about for the very first time.
"I think it was the end of summer 1993, right after I was drafted. We had a big training camp for the Olympic qualifying tournament to Lillehammer, and Peter was the captain of the team. I was 19 at the time, he was probably 38, so I was half his age," laughed Satan.
"You know, there's two ways of talking to people in our language. One is like you're talking to your buddies, it's informal. The other is when you respect someone very much, like an elder. I didn't really know how I should talk to him. We were teammates, so I wanted to talk to him like we're buddies, but I also felt like a kid."
So what did Miro do? "Peter saw it right away, because he stood in front of me and said, 'Hi I'm Peter,' and that was it," said Satan.
The elder statesman speaks just as fondly of Satan, and has been watching the playoffs with great interest. "Miro has a unique talent--talent to score the goals, to create opportunities and situations. He has soft hands, good vision, and great skating abilities."
Although Satan has been struggling against Washington, he scored his first and only goal of the series in Game 1 on a terrific second effort typical of pure goal scorers. After goalie Olie Kolzig stopped the first shot from Satan, he hit the breaks and made a 360-degree turn to retrieve his own rebound, easily putting the puck in the net when Kolzig and defenseman Brendan Witt were both caught sprawled on the ice.
Stastny described the goal this way: "A good goal scorer never lets his eye off the puck. And Miroslav was there like a hawk. He made a couple of stops and then buried the puck in the net."
That helped Buffalo get off to a promising start in the series, but it's been all Capitals from that point on, thanks in part to Satan's Slovak counterparts. If the turning point of the series didn't come when Bondra finally got the Capitals on the board with five seconds to go in Game 2 (a 3-2 Washington win), then it surely came in Game 3.
Borrowing a page from the Ron Wilson handbook of motivational techniques, Bondra told Zednik that he should play well because that game was being televised live in their native Slovakia. Zednik went on to play his most inspired game, beating Hasek twice with a blistering slapshot and a low wrister on the power play. Bondra chipped in with two goals himself, including the overtime winner. Together, the duo had six points in the 4-3 win.
"Good for them," said Satan. "What I know is that all of Slovakia is cheering for Washington in this series, so I think fans back there are very happy."
And what about Buffalo and their chances to sip from the Stanley Cup? When the interview with Miro closed with a good luck wish for Game 5, he smiled and said, "Thank you, that's what we need."
by Jenny Chung
11/04/1998
Despite new rules designed to increase offense, scoring is down in the NHL. Just ask Miroslav Satan, Buffalo's leading scorer last year. The gifted goal scorer finally notched his first goal of the season in a 6-3 thrashing of Toronto on Saturday, the second victory in as many nights as Buffalo and Toronto resumed their storied rivalry in the newly aligned six division league.
Although it took Satan nine games to finally light the lamp [He got No. 2 Tuesday night in a win over Boston], he hasn't exactly been idle. Spending most of his time on a line with winger Geoff Sanderson and center Brian Holzinger, Satan has been creating chances and setting up his linemates, and once again leads the team with ten points in 10 games (2+8=10). Not surprisingly, Satan's first goal came on the power play, where he was second on the team with nine tallies last season.
Last fall, Satan was on pace for a 37-goal season through the first 31 games, but faded badly in the second half, finishing with 22 goals in 79 outings. He was harshly criticized for his poor work habits and frequent bouts of indifferent play, and was even benched for the final game against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Finals.
A Group II restricted free agent, Satan missed training camp and pre-season exhibition games holding out for a new contract that would compensate him for being the team's leading scorer. The Sabres, wanting more consistency and commitment away from the puck from the talented Slovak sniper [he was but plus-2 last season, despite his team's winning ways and his own scoring prowess], signed him to a one-year deal worth $850,000 -- considerably less than the league average of $1.2 million. Needless to say, Satan was less than thrilled about his new contract.
"I don't think about my contract anymore," Satan told EuroReport recently. "What's done is done. Unfortunately, we're going to have to do it all over again next year."
Contract talks aside, Satan says he's ready to step up his game and improve on his career-best 46 points last year after talking with head coach Lindy Ruff about the post-season benching. "We talked about it. I've been told that they're expecting more from me and I was very pleased to hear it," said Satan. "I'm ready to fill that role and be more helpful to the team this year. I think my ice time has increased a little bit from last year, so it's getting better."
Missing training camp hasn't been a problem for Satan, who kept in shape during the summer skating with his former Slovak club, Dukla Trencin, and playing tennis with countryman and fellow restricted free agent Ziggy Palffy. But trying to catch up with the team as they left for their season opener in Dallas was another matter.
"During the summer I was back in Slovakia training with my former team. I even played a couple of games for them trying to get ready for the season," said Satan. "I received the call [about the contract] -- it was like 2 a.m. in the morning -- and I booked a ticket and flew out the next morning at eight o'clock. It was pretty quick, and a little crazy."
With Satan and another key restricted free agent, defenseman Alexei Zhitnik (15+30=45), both signed just days before the season, the Buffalo Sabres had their two leading scorers back on board. But the Sabres stumbled offensively, and were twice shut out in one week: a 1-0 loss to Washington and a 0-0 tie with the New York Rangers.
In the game against Washington, Buffalo had few scoring chances in the close- checking game, but the best belonged to Satan. Six minutes into the game, Satan was sitting on the doorstep when Jason Woolley passed him the puck on the left point. Satan, who was actually behind Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig, couldn't get the puck into the open net and his shot hit the post instead.
"I don't know how it happened," said Satan after the game. "I'm still asking myself how it happened.
"I'm having a little bit of trouble putting it into the net, but hopefully it's going to come sooner rather than later," added Satan. "I think the whole team is having trouble scoring. I don't think it's just my problem, it's the whole team's problem and we have to find a way to score."
Perhaps the best cure for Buffalo's scoring woes is more home-and-home series against Toronto. Buffalo won both games by scores of 4-1 and 6-3, a terrific start to the rekindling of these former division rivals. Satan tallied one goal and three assists in those two games, and Sanderson scored a natural hat trick in Buffalo's six-goal outburst.
No doubt these are the kinds of games the league was looking for when it made several rule changes to increase scoring. Among the changes, the NHL has reduced the size of the goal creases, moved the nets further from the end boards, and are using two referees for some games to call more obstruction violations - all in an effort to increase offense. But at this point last season, the goals-per-game average was roughly 5.3 compared to 4.8 this season.
"I haven't really noticed any difference," said Satan when asked about the rule changes. "I can see that the crease has changed and the net moved up, but I don't see that the neutral zone is shorter or the net is any bigger.
"You can visually see the changes, but it hasn't really had any effect in terms of the game. It seems the same to me," observed Satan. "And as far as the goalie equipment changes, I don't see any difference there either. They look the same. They said the goalies were going to look smaller, but I don't see any changes."
And what impact does a two-referee system have on a player and a Buffalo club known for speed and open-ice acceleration?
"When I read about it in Europe -- that there were going to be two referee games -- I thought it was just going to be two referees on the ice and no linesmen," said Satan with a laugh. "I think it's more crowded on the ice, but I think it's also going to help the game because one referee can't see everything. Besides, the extra referee is usually out of the offensive zone and you really don't notice him too much.
"I think the NHL made the right change," added Satan.
With another home-and-home series against Toronto coming up on 20 and 21 November, the NHL's new six-division alignment is one change that could bode very well for the offensively challenged Buffalo Sabres.
by Dave Reichert
04/29/1998
Despite the fact that Miroslav Satan finished the regular season as the Buffalo Sabres' leading goal and point getter, he had been given little ice time in Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia. As a result, the winger was not a factor in the first two games of the club's opening round playoff series against the Flyers.
All that changed in Game 3, and Buffalo -- which now leads, two games to one, heading into tonight's Game 4 -- is that much better off.
Despite his admirable numbers, Satan (22+24=46 in 79 regular season games) found himself on the outside looking in quite often during the regular season. For many games the winger was slotted on Buffalo's fourth line, and at times, he was even a healthy scratch from a lineup desperate for offense. It has been his soft play in the corners and lack of commitment to two-way play that has drawn the criticism from head coach Lindy Ruff.
Heading into Buffalo's Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series with the Flyers, many anticipated that Satan would play a limited role as a result of Philadelphia's penchant for physical play.
In the first two games of the series, this speculation proved to be correct. The winger was a non-factor offensively and a liability in his own zone, particularly in Game 2, in which Satan's lack of strong play along the boards allowed Flyer defenseman Dan McGillis to move in from his point position with ease and net the opening goal in Philadelphia's 3-2 series-tying win.
Much to Buffalo's delight, however, Satan rebounded in the Sabres' 6-1 rout of the Flyers in Monday's Game 3. Not only did he score two goals (his first-ever playoff points), but he showed a renewed energy at both ends of the ice.
"He was beaten badly on the McGllis goal in Philly the other night," Ruff said after the Game 3 win. "I wasn't happy with that. Miro tried hard to be better in his own end tonight. I thought he battled hard tonight in both ends of the rink.
"He hasn't played a lot," Ruff added. "In the games in Philly his ice time was down. He hasn't scored a lot in a long time, but he's the type of guy who can get hot for us."
Satan admits to being frustrated at times by being scratched from the lineup or given limited ice time. He knows, however, that there's only one right way to handle the situation.
"With these things you have to be a professional," said Satan. "The coaching staff has to decide what to do. Any time they need me, anytime they put me on the ice, I'm trying to do my best and do everything I can for the team. I do get mad about it sometimes. I think everybody who is not playing, he's got to get mad and try to work harder so he can get back in the lineup."
by Dave Reichert
03/24/1998
Times have been tough of late for Sabres winger Miroslav Satan. Despite the fact that he remains Buffalo's leading goal scorer through 68 games, Satan is having difficulty finding the back of the net on a consistent basis.
While Satan leads the club with 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points, the Sabres are in desperate need of consistent offensive punch. Earlier this season, the talented winger drew the ire of head coach Lindy Ruff. The coach had been sharply critical of Satan's play in several contests in late December. Ruff had cited the winger's lake of consistency and intensity, and despite the fact that Satan was Buffalo's leading scorer then, too, he found himself to be a healthy scratch for the Sabres New Year's Eve match-up with the Ottawa Senators.
Now, as then, the issue of Satan's intensity and commitment is being questioned by Ruff, and the player's recent numbers tell why. Heading into Tuesday night's game at Calgary, Satan has tallied just six goals in Buffalo's last 30 games. While that total is still enough to keep him atop the team scoring table, it is still well below expectations for the forward with the talent to key the Sabres offensive attack.
Satan has seen time with virtually every combination of Buffalo forwards this season. In February and early March, Satan even saw reduced ice time and a tour of duty on the fourth line with Wayne Primeau and Rob Ray. And while Ruff's recent line-shuffling has surely been a distraction to the 23-year-old winger, Satan refuses to let that stand as an excuse for his recent struggles.
"I'm not sure if it would be better for me to play on one steady line or continue to shift around. It's hard to say what would be better for me," Satan told the EuroReport. "I think Ice time is the key for me. The more Ice time you get, the more chances you will have to score."
The Sabres are among the league's most penalized clubs. This fact, coupled with the NHL's recent crackdown on obstruction makes it even harder for an offensive-minded player like Satan to play a regular shift.
"Some games I'm playing less because there is a lot of penalty killing going on," said Satan. "Sometimes I get cold sitting on the bench for long stretches, and then it's hard to get going again when it's my turn."
Satan continues to work in an attempt to regain his scoring touch, and is beginning to see some results. He notched a goal in the third period of Buffalo's 5-3 home loss to Chicago last Tuesday. This was his first marker since he registered a hat trick performance at Washington on 1 March
"Finally, it went in," a relieved Satan said afterwards. "After a few games where I've struggled, and I couldn't put the puck in the net, finally today I got a break and it went in."
Satan is hoping that the breaks will come a bit more often as the games become more important and playoff time looms.
"Things have not been going well," said Satan. "There are many things you can try to change your luck, but the most important thing is to keep working at it and the goals will come."
The Sabres are hoping for the very same thing.
(c) 1996 Copyright Nando.net
(c) 1996 Bloomberg
NEW YORK (Apr 2, 1996 - 14:09 EST) -- Edmonton Oilers left wing Miroslav Satan was named the National Hockey League Rookie of the Month for March.
Satan, 21, led all first-year players with eight goals and eight assists in 14 games, while compiling an 11-game point-scoring streak.
Satan ranks eighth among rookie scorers with 17 goals and 17 assists in 57 games this season.
Satan edged out Vancouver Canucks goaltender Corey Hirsch, San Jose Sharks defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson, New Jersey Devils center Steve Sullivan and Los Angeles Kings right wing Vitali Yachmenev for the award.