Top Buffalo Sabres prospects created numerous chances in loss

While the Rochester Americans fell 3-2 in this one, a few Buffalo Sabres prospects made their presence known offensively in Game 3. 

The Rochester Americans may have lost 3-2, but you can’t help but be pleased with performances from the likes of Matt Savoie, Isak Rosen, Jiri Kulich, Lukas Rousek, and Tyson Kozak if you’re a Buffalo Sabres fan. None of them found the back of the net, but they all contributed in several near-misses.

While it’s evident Savoie needs to put on some size and strength, his heads-up pass to Lukas Rousek gave us yet another example of why general manager Kevyn Adams picked the kid ninth overall last year. Rousek found himself right in front of goaltender Hunter Shepard with no one around, but he failed to finish to put the Amerks on the board. Nonetheless, it was a great example of Savoie’s awareness.

Top Buffalo Sabres prospects showed up despite loss to Hershey

Isak Rosen showed off his speed several times in this one and he put himself in position to log three shots on goal. But his positioning in front of the net played a big part in defenseman Zach Metsa’s goal to put the Amerks on the board.

As you can see from the video above, Rosen took up space in front of Shepard, forcing a Hershey player to keep tabs on him. This created enough traffic in front of the net to give Metsa his score his first goal as a pro.

Kulich had four shots on goal, and he nearly tied the game in the third off of a rebound, but Shepard slid to his right just enough to deflect the shot. If Kulich had a few more chances like that, I have no doubt he’d have gotten one through, and you know he’ll be trying the same thing come Monday night.

And finally, Tyson Kozak routinely showed off two traits – speed and physicality, and it started with a hard check early on. When head coach Seth Appert shuffled the lines in the third, Kozak continued to find good positioning in front of the net to challenge Shepard.

While this wasn’t the result we wanted to see, if you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres, you can’t help but be proud of what the top prospects accomplished tonight. Here’s to looking forward to seeing what they can do next, and hopefully they will tie the series with Hershey.