Trio of Buffalo Sabres prospects come up big in Game 5

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking long and hard at Jiri Kulich, Lukas Rousek, and Isak Rosen in camp a few months from today. 

The trio of Jiri Kulich, Lukas Rousek, and Isak Rosen didn’t disappoint in Game 5, as they continue to try and impress the Buffalo Sabres enough to at least get a long look when training camp rolls around. And if there was ever a highlight reel affair, it was this game.

Rosen never found the back of the net, but he made several heads up defensive plays including an incredible takeaway early in the contest. He also got a remarkable look that turned into a breakaway attempt to challenge Hershey Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard. Despite his small size, Rosen will nonetheless garner strong consideration in camp if that defensive play continues, along with him getting more than a few good looks when in the offensive zone.

Jiri Kulich kicked things off with his first goal in a few games. And no one could have drawn up the score any better. Kulich evaded one Hershey player, before skating in close proximity of two more. Undeterred, he took a shot from long range that ended up past Shepard and into the back of the net.

Top Buffalo Sabres prospects make sound contributions in Game 5

Lukas Rousek iced the game with an empty-netter to guarantee the series would head back to Rochester. But early in the third period, he took a pass from Mason Jobst and drilled it home to give the Amerks a 2-0 lead. Check out the video below:

Rousek doesn’t often take shots, but when he gets an open look, he’s looking for the back of the net. His efforts also warranted him the Second Star of the night, while goaltender Malcolm Subban, who had yet another outstanding game when facing elimination, earned First Star honors.

Several other prospects looked good tonight and deserve recognition. Tyson Kozak had an incredible block late in the contest, while Linus Weissbach showed his grittier side and he even had an assist on a goal from Michael Mersch to help end the Amerks drought without a power play goal. And like he did on Monday, Filip Cederqvist was flying around the ice early in the game. Overall, it was an outstanding performance from the young Amerks, and I’m looking forward to Game 6.

(Statistics provided by theAHL.com)