Top Buffalo Sabres prospects link up for textbook goal last night
Buffalo Sabres prospects Jiri Kulich and Lukas Rousek linked up for a remarkable goal last night in Rochester’s big playoff win over Syracuse.
While Lawrence Pilut scored twice last night in the Rochester Americans big win over the Syracuse Crunch and goaltender Malcolm Subban took First Star honors thanks to his saving 44 of 48 shots on goal (0.916 save percentage), it overshadowed what was arguably the Amerks best play of the game. And this play involved two high profile Buffalo Sabres prospects who could find themselves playing in the Queen City at some point next season.
On this play, Ethan Prow kicked things off, passing the puck through heavy traffic at the Amerks blue line. He found Rousek skating up ice between two Crunch players, who weaved through the right circle, and with a defender all over him, he backhanded it across the hashes to Kulich.
Kulich took control of the puck, skated just in front of the crease, and deked just far enough to where Crunch goaltender, Maxime Legace couldn’t reach the puck, and drove it home. It was a magnificent play all around for Rochester, and yet another reason we will see Rousek and Kulich get a recall in 2023-24, even if it may not happen immediately.
NOW IT'S JIRI KULICH 🚨 pic.twitter.com/6ahHXtq05p
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) May 7, 2023
Buffalo Sabres prospects again prove themselves NHL-worthy
While Rousek saw time with the Sabres this season and played well, Kulich may ultimately edge him out if the event occurred where one more roster spot opened. The rook led the Amerks in scoring over the regular season, and given the fact they dropped Games 1 and 2 of the series against Syracuse when he missed time with an injury, it’s clear they aren’t the same team without Kulich.
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Further, Kulich scored a goal in each game he’s played in the playoffs, further cementing his overall value to the Amerks, and one he will carry over to the NHL when he receives the inevitable call-up. But before we dive into training camp and whether Kulich can make good on that deal, let’s first see what he, and Rousek, can do in the North Division Final against the Toronto Marlies.
(Statistics provided by theAHL.com)