DETROIT (AP) -- Chris Osgood got the shutout, yet it was Dominik Hasek who walked out of Joe Louis Arena smiling. He's going to miss this hockey rink.

	Kris Draper is squished between Buffalo's Erik Rasmussen, right, and Jason Wooley.

Still, it was a good night for Hasek, too. The Red Wings outshot Buffalo 44-22 and it was only the play of Hasek in the Sabres' goal that kept the score as close as it was.

After a whistle stopped one barrage of shots with 10:36 left in the game, Hasek picked up the puck and tossed it out to the blue line. He then raised his arms -- palms up -- as if to say, "What else can I do?" The 19,983 fans gave him a round of applause.

"Both goaltenders played extremely well," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "Maybe the fans realized this was the last time they'll see him in this building. I thought it was a classy act."

Hasek, who has announced he will retire after this season, said he wasn't sure whether the fans were cheering or booing him.

"I'm glad to hear it was cheering," he said. "That was very nice."

The Sabres, who lost in last season's Stanley Cup finals to the Dallas Stars, struggled with Detroit's defense which was bolstered by the trade late last season that brought Chris Chelios and the acquisition just before training camp of Steve Duchesne.

Hasek, who played sparingly during the exhibition season while recovering from a hernia operation, was sometimes brilliant, even in defeat. The two-time MVP and five-time Vezina Trophy winner, said he felt fine. But he conceded he was a little nervous.

"Before the game, I was thinking of this being my last game in this great building," said Hasek, who turns 35 in January. "We don't come in here that much, but I know there has been a lot of history in this place."

The game was a fast-paced affair dominated by sometimes spectacular goaltending at both ends until Draper's goal gave Detroit a 1-0 lead with 1:28 left in the first period.

The goal was mostly the result of Draper's tenacity. He made a nice move around a defenseman to get the shot off from the right circle, then chased the puck to the other circle, wheeled and flipped in his own rebound.

"I took it in and then I hit Hasek's pad," said Draper, who scored only four goals last season. "It came right back to me, and I put it in.

"It's good to chip in with a big win in our home opener."

Duchesne, looking perfectly comfortable in his new surroundings, rifled a shot from just inside the blue line that Holstrom -- at the edge of the left circle -- redirected under the crossbar before Hasek could react. That gave Detroit a 2-0 lead at 5:15 of the second.

Chelios also got an assist on the goal, leaving him just one point shy of 800 for his career.

Osgood, who had three shutouts last season, made two good saves to frustrate Geoff Sanderson, once in the first period and again with 6:27 in the second when Sanderson broke in alone while the Sabres were shorthanded.

Osgood scrambled to cover up a loose puck with Michal Grosek bearing down on the crease at 4:31 of the third period.

"We're happy with the way we played tonight," Osgood said. "It was a good start for us."

Hasek made a diving glove save on a blistering shot by Nicklas Lidstrom at 6:21 of the first period and came up big to rob Sergei Fedorov at close range 40 seconds into the second period. Hasek made another good save to prevent a second goal by Draper 5:21 into the third period.

"I enjoy playing against him," Osgood said. "He's fun to play against and he's fun to watch. You know you can't give up many goals, so it's a challenge."