theathleticuk
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jiri Kulich had gone 343 days without scoring a goal in an NHL game. Last November, the Buffalo Sabres center was diagnosed with a blood clot, forcing him to spend the remainder of the season on injured reserve. He could only watch as Buffalo made a playoff push, skating on his own and wondering if he would ever play again.
That made Saturday night's home opener all the more special. With the Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks tied 3-3 and just under seven minutes left in the third period, Kulich found himself in the right place at the right time. After missing the net on a prime chance, he positioned himself near the side of the net, banging his stick on the ice. Tage Thompson fed the puck to Owen Power, who delivered a perfect pass to Kulich. The young center snapped it past Spencer Knight for the game-winning goal in Buffalo's 4-3 victory.
Kulich raised his arms to the crowd and slammed the glass as the building erupted. "That was probably the main thing I was dreaming about the whole year not playing," Kulich said. "So after that one, it was a lot of emotions. So yeah, that one is going to be special for sure."
As a rookie in 2024-25, Kulich tallied 15 goals in 62 games before missing most of last season. The 2022 first-round pick had been a prolific scorer in the AHL as a teenager and finished his rookie NHL season as the Sabres' No. 1 center. But head coach Lindy Ruff started him on the fourth line to open the regular season, partly to ease him back into action and partly due to the team's forward depth.
In the third period, Ruff had seen enough. He promoted Kulich to the third line alongside Konsta Helenius and Peyton Krebs, moving Ryan McLeod down to the fourth line. Ruff also used Kulich on a four-on-four with Thompson, which led to the game-winner, and trusted him late with the Sabres protecting a one-goal lead.
"Obviously I have lots to prove after not playing for a year, and those guys, they did an unbelievable job last year," Kulich said. "So just have to prove it and just keep working hard."
With his brother visiting from Czechia, Kulich came through in a big spot and felt the weight of the past year begin to lift. "I think he embraces the fact that he's playing right now, that that could have gone any direction," Ruff said.
Key Analysis
Ruff was not pleased with his team's defensive miscues. The Sabres doubled the Blackhawks in five-on-five scoring chances and controlled much of the play, yet trailed for most of the game. Buffalo fell behind 2-0 on two ghastly defensive-zone plays, leaving goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with no chance on either goal. On Chicago's third goal, the Sabres allowed another two-on-one just after a power play. "We weren't good defensively, and that's not good enough," Ruff said. "I mean, those two goals, we let them get inside, we didn't stop inside, and we basically just handed them their three goals tonight."
That marks two straight games to start the season in which the Sabres have been sloppy defensively. The upshot is that Buffalo improved significantly on defense last season and has enough returning players to correct the issues.
The Sabres missed the net 11 times in the first period and 23 times in the game. They generated 37 scoring chances and 17 high-danger chances, and could have won by a lopsided margin if they had finished more often.
Buffalo entered the third period trailing 3-2, but a blocked shot from Mattias Samuelsson changed the game. He laid out to block a shot and sparked a rush the other way. Krebs slid a pass to Rasmus Dahlin, who beat Knight clean with a quick release. The play doesn't happen without Samuelsson's sacrifice.
McLeod was demoted to the fourth line late in the game and played only three shifts in the third period. This continues a trend from late last season, when Ruff also put McLeod on the fourth line during the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. His speed is undeniable and he's an asset on the penalty kill, but McLeod leaves offense on the table. He's been unwilling to shoot and was on the ice for three goals against in this game. Kulich took his spot at center on the third line, and that's something to monitor. The forward group will only get more crowded when Jason Zucker returns.
The Sabres' power play went 0-for-3 and is now 0-for-8 to start the season. It's early, but this is an ongoing issue from last season. Worse, the Sabres looked disjointed on the power play throughout the game, generating only two high-danger chances and allowing one.
Jack Quinn scored his second goal of the season and probably could have scored two or three. Through two games, Quinn has 13 individual scoring chances, six more than the next closest Sabre. That total is tied for third in the league behind Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin. This could be the start of the breakout season the Sabres have been waiting for from Quinn, but he's had hot streaks before. "He's just taking steps," Dahlin said. "You see he's so dominant, and he creates an amount of chances. Now he's going to get comfortable doing that, so he's just going to get better. I'm not surprised; I've always known he got this. He's always like that in practices, so now it's fun to see him do it in games."
Before the game, the Sabres raised a banner for winning the Atlantic Division last season. Dahlin summarized the feelings of the players well. "It's pretty cool but we want a different one up there," the Sabres captain said. "It's great, it's history now, but like I said, we've got a bigger goal in mind."
Originally reported by theathleticuk.