Jiri Kulich's goal helps Rochester take 2-0 lead in playoff series against Syracuse

ROCHESTER − Jiri Kulich declined his invitation to play for Czechia at the IIHF World Championship next month because the 21-year-old center was given a different assignment from his bosses with the Buffalo Sabres.

Kulich joined the Rochester Americans as soon as the Sabres' season ended. General manager Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff wanted Kulich to gain more experience in the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoffs.

Kulich showed Sunday afternoon in Rochester's Blue Cross Arena how he'll be able to help the Amerks in their bid to win the Calder Cup.

The 2022 first-round draft pick hammered a one-timer on the power play for his first goal of the playoffs, helping Rochester pull away for a 4-0 win in Game 2 of its best-in-five series against the Syracuse Crunch.

The Amerks took a 2-0 series lead and will advance to the North Division final with a win Thursday in Syracuse. Rochester finished second in the division with a 42-22-8 record.

Konsta Helenius, the Sabres' 2024 first-round draft pick, also scored for Rochester, and Kulich won a faceoff back to defenseman Kale Clague, who made it 3-0 with his shot from the point 5:53 into the third period. Sabres prospect Devon Levi made 35 saves to earn his first playoff shutout, and Isak Rosen added an empty-net goal. 

"I think everything throughout the course of the year prepared us for this moment," said Rochester coach Mike Leone. "You talk about being selfless, adversity throughout the game, the highs and lows, they willed it out, really. Incredible effort from everyone."

Clague also had the primary assist on Helenius' goal with a snap shot that went off a Syracuse defenseman. Helenius, 18, quickly shot and scored while Halverson was out of position, and Rochester took a 1-0 lead 10:37 into the game.

Helenius, the youngest player in the AHL this season, totaled 14 goals with 35 points in 65 games as a rookie. He is a natural center, but played right wing Sunday on a line with Mason Jobst and Tyson Kozak. 

The Amerks were down to four defensemen for a few minutes in the second period because they lost Vsevelod Komarov and Jack Rathbone to injuries. Komarov was helped to the bench and did not return to the game after he was injured in a fight with Crunch center Jack Finley. They traded punches until Finley connected on a jab that dropped Komarov to the ice. An official immediately called for a trainer to check on Komarov.

Rathbone took a tumble into the boards, but returned in the final moments of an Amerks penalty kill. They were down to four defensemen again in the third period because Zach Metsa was given a 10-minute misconduct for a scrum that began at the end of the second that included several players and dragged on because officials failed to stop Crunch players from instigating.

"Our (defensemen) stepped up," said Levi. "We stepped up for (Komarov). ... They're a good team. It's a 4-0 game, but the score doesn't really show you what happened out there. ... We got fortunate, but I think we put in the work to get the bounces."

The Crunch hit the post next to Levi late in the second period, then Rochester drew a penalty and Kulich scored the power-play goal with 14 seconds left to make it 2-0. Rochester coach Vinny Prospal selected veteran center Josh Dunne to take the faceoff. Dunne won the draw, Helenius set a pick and Clague set up Kulich for a shot in the right circle.

It wasn't clear whether Kulich would join the Amerks for their playoffs. He had 15 goals with 24 points in 62 games as a rookie with the Sabres. A portion of Kulich's season was spent on their top line next to Tage Thompson, who led Buffalo with 44 goals. Kulich proved that heis a reliable, trustworthy center in the NHL, but Ruff and Adams wanted Kulich to be tested in the Calder Cup playoffs. He's passed with flying colors through two games in Rochester.

"Big-time players come up big at big-time moments, and he did that for us," said Leone.