Kulich's 3-point night leads Sabres to comeback win over Canucks

VANCOUVER – Tage Thompson made a not-so-bold prediction following Jiri Kulich’s six-shot performance in Seattle on Monday: If Kulich continued to find open ice for quality shots, they were going to fall before long.

Thompson was vindicated on Tuesday night – sort of. Kulich was stopped on an early point-blank chance, yet the rookie still managed to factor in on all three of the Buffalo Sabres’ goals in their 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

Kulich had a goal and two assists in the victory. His goal, a redirect of a pass from JJ Peterka, erased a 2-1 deficit with 10:18 remaining.

“Sure enough, he got one,” said Thompson, whose passes had set up high-danger looks for Kulich in the last two games. “I think any time he finds the soft spots, he’s pretty dangerous, so just try and look for him and hopefully he’ll return the favor.”

Indeed, Kulich’s shot helped make him a first-round pick three summers ago and led him to team-leading goal totals in each of the past two seasons with Rochester. Tuesday, however, was an example of the well-rounded game that has allowed Kulich to stick in the NHL at just 20 years old.

Kulich was tasked with centering the top line between Peterka and Thompson, a job that – particularly on the road – comes with matchups against top opposing players. The Sabres finished the game with a 27-12 advantage in shot attempts when the three forwards shared the ice at 5-on-5 (according to Natural Stat Trick), with each player getting rewarded with a goal.

Thompson opened the scoring with 2:26 remaining in the first period off a draw won by Kulich on the left dot in the offensive zone. Thompson carried the puck into the high slot and buried a wrist shot for his team-leading 21st goal of the season.

Following a two-goal second period by the Canucks, the Sabres’ top line went back to work in the third. Peterka forced a turnover down low to set up Kulich’s tying goal, then buried a one-timer on a feed from Rasmus Dahlin for the winning goal with 6:27 remaining.

Peterka’s goal was once again made possible by a faceoff win from Kulich, who then immediately skated to the net and set a screen on goaltender Thatcher Demko.

“I’m trying to go to the net more than ever because I don’t think I was going to the net last season in Rochester,” Kulich said. “But especially if I’m playing with those guys, my role is be net-front and [give] them more space.”

Kulich’s final faceoff of the night came with 18 seconds remaining and the Sabres clinging to a one-goal lead in a game they desperately needed. His opponent, J.T. Miller, entered the night with a 58.7-percent success rate in the circle. Kulich won the draw and, seconds later, cleared the puck out of the defensive zone.

It was a tall order for a 20-year-old, but one that Kulich has earned throughout a rookie season in which he’s progressively grown. He opened the year on the fringe of the roster, cracked the lineup playing the wing, and graduated to his natural position at center.

After scoring two goals with no assists in his first 17 games, Kulich has 10 points (6+4) in 15 games since Dec. 7. He ranks fourth among NHL rookies in that span despite losing four games to a lower-body injury.

“Real impressive,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We knew how well he’d been playing before he went out. I mean, we talked about center or wing, I think he’s proven now that he can play in the middle and he can carry the puck through the neutral zone, he can win key faceoffs for us and defensively he’s been really strong.”

Now, he’d just like to bury one of those grade-A chances from Thompson.

“Tommer keeps feeding me pucks and I’m just putting them right into the goalie’s stomach,” Kulich said. “Hopefully next game one of those (is) going in.”

Here’s more from the win in Vancouver.

1. The Sabres entered the day in need of a response after Ruff and Thompson both felt the group was lacking in battles during the 6-4 loss in Seattle on Monday.

As a result of the loss, the Sabres held a brief, intense morning skate on Tuesday – a rare occurrence on the second day of a back-to-back set.

“It was one of those situations, we didn’t really deserve a day off, so it was good to get the work boots on early and kind of get the mind right for tonight,” Thompson said.

The Sabres took the message to heart during a strong first period and maintained their confidence even after the Canucks pulled ahead during the second.

The Canucks had not lost in regulation all season when leading after two periods (15-0-6).

“I didn’t think there was any panic in our game,” Thompson said. “We were comfortable on the bench, in the locker room between periods, kept making plays. I think there was just a bigger sense of calm on the bench. I think we’ve been in that situation a few times and kind of let the game get away from us. I thought we stuck together and battled back.”

2. The Sabres were without forward Jason Zucker, who missed the game due to an illness. They dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in his absence, with Tyson Kozak rejoining the team from Rochester and stepping into the lineup in place of Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

3. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was back in goal after not dressing in Seattle to rest what Ruff described as “nagging issues.” The goaltender made 32 saves, including a late scramble on a last-ditch rebound attempt from Conor Garland during the dying seconds of the game:

4. Dahlin had two assists, giving him 15 in his last 13 games.

Up next

The road trip continues in Calgary on Wednesday. Coverage on MSG begins at 8:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 9.