NEW YORK (AP) -- A funny bounce went a long way for the Buffalo Sabres.

Curtis Brown get credit for the tying goal with 3:11 left in regulation when his shot deflected in off two New York Rangers, rallying Buffalo to a 3-3 tie Wednesday night.

	Petr Nedved, left, and Jan Hlavac gave countryman Dominik Hasek a reality Czech in Madison Square Garden.

The goal kept the Sabres one point behind the Rangers in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York, which led 3-1 in the third period, is in eighth place with 65 points.

"This point was so big," said Michael Peca, whose 17th goal got Buffalo within 3-2. "I think we'll come to realize just how important this point is down the road when things become more compressed in the standings."

Both teams have 17 games remaining.

"To be down two goals in the third period and come back to tie was a good point," said Dominik Hasek, who made 28 saves. "This was the biggest game of the season for us."

Late in the period, the Rangers' John MacLean clipped Jay McKee with his stick and was sent off. It took Buffalo, with the league's worst power play, only 19 seconds to tie it.

Brown sent a shot from the left boards that goalie Mike Richter deflected with his stick off the leg of teammate Eric Lacroix and into the net for Brown's 16th goal.

"He was in perfect position," Richter said of Lacroix. "It hit his shinguard in just the right spot and came back on net."

Neither team could score during a frenetic overtime that saw Hasek make two sprawling saves.

"It was very, very important for us not to lose in overtime," Richter said.

Jan Hlavac scored twice in a three-minute span of the second period for the Rangers, who tallied all three goals within 4:59.

"It hurts to be up two goals in the third and not get the win," defenseman Brian Leetch said.

Hasek was 4-0-3 after missing 40 games with a groin injury, but is 1-2-1 including a loss and tie to New York since. Before Friday's home defeat, Hasek was 7-0-3 with five shutouts in his last 10 starts against the Rangers.

Richter made 34 saves for New York and robbed Vladimir Tsyplakov with 44 seconds left in regulation.

It again was the Rangers' Czech Republic line of Hlavac, Petr Nedved and Radek Dvorak that victimized countryman Hasek.

On Friday, Nedved had his third hat trick of the season in the Rangers' 6-3 win, and this time he set up Hlavac twice within 2:27.

"I think he's still the best goalie in the league," Nedved said. "We were kind of due to start scoring some goals because he's been shutting us down for some time."

With the game tied at 1, Nedved started a 2-on-1 after forcing a turnover by Brian Holzinger at the New York blue line. He skated in with Hlavac and fed a cross-ice pass into the left circle. Hlavac's high shot beat Hasek at 13:01.

"That was a great shot," Hasek said. "He put it in a perfect spot."

Then Nedved pressured defenseman Alexei Zhitnik into making a terrible pass from behind the net that went right to Dvorak in the right circle. Dvorak quickly passed to Hlavac for a one-timer that made it 3-1.

The Czechmates line has 37 goals and 45 assists in 27 games since being formed on Jan. 5. Hlavac, second to teammate Mike York among rookies with 17 goals, has accounted for 13 goals and 11 assists.

"They're skating so well and it's their speed that helps them create turnovers," Hasek said.

Buffalo took a 1-0 lead in the first, a period in which the Sabres outworked the Rangers at both ends of the ice.

Vaclav Varada made a perfect pass through the goal mouth to Tsyplakov, who tapped in his eighth goal from the left side of the net at 4:53.

Adam Graves scored his 19th goal at 10:29 during a power play to tie it and start the second-period onslaught.