Jiri Kulich scored with 6:40 remaining in the third period to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 comeback victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in their home opener on Saturday night. The win improved Buffalo’s record while dropping Chicago to 0-3-0 under coach Jeff Blashill.
Buffalo Rallies From a Two-Goal Deficit
The Blackhawks staked themselves to an early advantage in the first period, controlling the slot and capitalizing on defensive breakdowns. Ryan Donato opened the scoring at 7:59, converting a crisp centering pass from Alex Vlasic. Tyler Bertuzzi then extended the lead to 2-0 at 11:24 by finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence initiated by Anton Frondell and Teuvo Teravainen.
The Sabres chipped away before the first intermission when Jack Quinn fired a wrist shot from above the slot past Spencer Knight at 16:24. Ruff added that Quinn is skating well and that the player had a segment last year where he was snakebit and could not buy one, making it a great sign for the team to see him start scoring right now. Chicago coach Jeff Blashill assessed his team’s performance by stating, I thought our compete and our kind of swagger was way better,
and adding, That’s more the standard that we want to play with. Obviously, you’re going to make mistakes, and you want to learn and grow, and that’s what we’ll focus on.
The Blackhawks had been outscored 11-2 in prior losses to the Vegas Golden Knights (5-2) and Utah Mammoth (6-0). Spencer Knight made 24 saves for Chicago.
| Team | Shots on Goal | Goals | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 24 | 4 | — |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 15 | 3 | 0-3-0 |
Kulich’s Emotional Return and Game-Winner
The turning point arrived in the third period after Rasmus Dahlin tied the game 3-3 at the 6:10 mark by beating Knight with a sharp snapshot to the stick side off a rush feed from Peyton Krebs. With momentum firmly on Buffalo’s side, Kulich completed the comeback late in regulation. After missing the net on an initial close-range attempt, Tage Thompson recovered the puck behind the net, dished it to Owen Power in the right circle, and Power fed Kulich to the left of the crease for the decisive finish.
The goal marked Kulich’s first regular-season tally in nearly a calendar year, dating back to a goal in a 5-3 win over Toronto on Oct. 24, exactly a week before he was sidelined. Reflecting on his return, Kulich said, Yeah, that was probably the main thing I was dreaming about the whole year, you know, not playing,
and added, After that one, it was a lot of emotions. So yeah, that one is going to be special for sure.
He also noted, It was great to be back, to score a goal and just feel it again, feel the crowd again,
mentioning that his older brother Jaroslav was in the stands while he believed his parents were watching back home, concluding, I was waiting for this moment. It’s a great feeling.
Coach Lindy Ruff showed immense trust in the returning forward, deploying him on the ice during the final minute of regulation as Chicago pulled Knight for an extra attacker. Kulich opened the game centering Buffalo’s fourth line before moving up to the third line, finishing with 13 and a half minutes of playing time.
Roster Shuffles and Upcoming Fixtures
Chicago played without top defenseman Bowen Byram, who was sidelined due to a family matter. Byram spent the previous two-plus seasons in Buffalo before being acquired by the Blackhawks in a June trade.
The Sabres will look to maintain their winning momentum when they host Minnesota on Tuesday night.
