Nifty goal illustrates Sabres rookie Jiri Kulich becoming two-way player

BUFFALO – The genesis of Sabres center Jiri Kulich’s second goal in Monday’s 7-1 win illustrates how much the rookie has matured over the past three months.

The Czech, 20, put the finishing touches on the Sabres’ first victory in one month by utilizing his lethal shot to beat New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin from the left circle.

But 10 seconds earlier in his own zone, Kulich knocked the puck away from Mat Barzal before shoving the center to the ice. After the puck moved to Isaiah George inside the blue line, Kulich hectored the defenseman into coughing it up and sped away.

The youngster grabbed it at center ice before splitting George and defenseman Ryan Pulock.

Kulich’s heavy defensive play and aggressiveness allowed his skill to come out. He created his own goal.

“It just represents getting rewarded for putting a lot of work into one goal,”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said prior to tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks in KeyBank Center. “The effort he made inside our blue line to knock one person down, fend off another person on the entry, and then get himself inside that key scoring area to shoot it, and it was an absolutely perfect shot.

“But I think what he did up ice helped him get the reward down ice.”

In scoring his sixth NHL goal, Kulich also displayed his growing confidence in his shot. To develop into an elite scorer, he must frequently showcase it.

“It feels nice because now I just trust my shots again,” said Kulich, who had his first two-goal outing with the Sabres.

Kulich said the shot reminded him of ones he took in Rochester, where he scored 53 goals for the Americans.

“I was trying to shoot them like that every single game,” he said.

Naturally, Ruff wants Kulich, the 28th overall pick in 2022, to shoot often. There is, however, a delicate balance.

Kulich explained in the AHL, he could score on what he called his “C chance.”

“It just has to be just lucky to score from there in the NHL,” he said.

In the NHL, he said he must “find the next play and trust my shot, too.”

Ruff has likely buoyed Kulich’s development by keeping him at center, his natural position, instead of playing him on the wing, and awarding him consistent ice time. He also has regular power-play duty.

Late in the first period of Monday’s win, he scored seconds after a penalty expired, narrowly missing his first power-play goal.

“Almost,” he said. “One day.”

Sabres winger Jason Zucker represented Team USA three times in the World Junior Championship, winning a gold medal as a 17-year-old in 2010.

Prior to that tournament, the Las Vegas native earned a gold medal with the US Under-18 team.

“Being able to win those two kind of made me realize what it takes to win, especially in those type (of) tournaments,” Zucker said. “There’s so much chaos happening. You don’t know your team that well. You’re all thrown together and you have to kind of build this chemistry as quick as you can. We were fortunate to win, but it’s kind of a crazy experience.”

The Sabres have six prospects participating in this year’s World Juniors, which started Thursday in Ottawa.

What’s Zucker’s advice to the youngsters?

“Just embrace it, enjoy it,” he said. “It’s some of the best hockey you’re ever going to play. … Use it to grow your game.”

He said playing in the tournament “was a special part of my life.”

“It’s something I’ll remember forever,” he said. “I’m looking forward to one day being able to give all my gold medals to my kids.”

Notes: The Sabres scratched winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel and defensemen Dennis Gilbert and Henri Jokiharju (all healthy). … The Sabres begin a four-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Blues. … Former Sabres winger Taylor Hall skated on Chicago’s top line Friday alongside center Connor Bedard.