Jiri Kulich is once again making his presence known in the 2023 IIHF World Juniors, and the Buffalo Sabres have to be loving this.
The Buffalo Sabres have got to be ecstatic with the returns forward Jiri Kulich has granted them both in the AHL and in the World Junior Championships. In Czechia’s 9-1 win over Switzerland, Kulich knocked down four points (2 + 2).
The performance gave Kulich seven points in five games so far in the tournament (5 + 2), and he has helped lead Czechia into a semi-final showdown against Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund, and Team Sweden. So in case you missed it, check out Kulich’s two goals from yesterday’s game against Switzerland and I will break them down.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Jiri Kulich once again stole the show
CZECHIA ANSWERS 🇨🇿
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 2, 2023
Jiri Kulich buries Svozil's nifty pass to tie the game at 1.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/I4RmUFnhMH
Despite the final score, Czechia found themselves down 1-0 early, but that changed when Kulich took a pass from the forecheck. Sneaking up the slot and near the crease was all it took for Kulich to sink Goal #1 home to tie the game at one.
A few days ago, I stated that Kulich looked a bit like Victor Olofsson given his ability to sneak around. Well, he once again pulled off his best impression of the Sabres power play specialist. I’m telling you, if Olofsson goes elsewhere in the near future, Kulich might be the winger’s initial replacement.
Jiri Kulich strikes again for Czechia and it's a 5-1 lead 🚨#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/SElp3bjfVd
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 2, 2023
This second one occurred in with just over 14 minutes remaining in the middle frame. Here, we saw Kulich once again sneak into the slot on what looked like a designed play. He took a short pass from Eduard Šalé, and did the rest, giving Czechia a 5-1 lead.
Overall, it has been a monster tournament for Kulich, who also enjoyed some fair performances in the AHL this season. Now, it’s onto Rosen, Ostlund, and that high-skill team that Sweden possesses to earn a spot in the championship round.
(Statistics provided by IIHF.com)
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