4 must-watch players as the Buffalo Sabres look to steal a win over the Panthers

The Buffalo Sabres are going to be looking for their second win of the season and these four players have some of the most intrigue around them entering this game.
Oct 13, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA;  Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images | Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
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Jiri Kulich

Jiri Kulich has been one of the more talked about players over the past week as he was demoted to the fourth line during practice before the Senators' game. There was even some question whether he would be a healthy scratch after getting off to a slow start this season.

He ultimately would play and found the net for the first time this season, although it was an empty net goal at the end of the game. On Friday, the Sabres appeared to shuffle their forward lines and had Kulich on the top line with Zach Benson, who had a great four assist game in his season debut, and Tage Thompson.

It was a little surprising to see Kulich on the top line because while he did play better, it is hard to imagine that it warrants a move up to that spot. Especially when taking into consideration just how good the offense looked with the lines they had.

It feels like this is similar to Samuelsson, in terms of a wait-and-see approach and if these are the lines they use for this game. Either way, Kulich will factor into these lines and will need to build off a decent game against the Senators.

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