Practice Report | Kulich's productive stretch places him among rookie goal-scoring leaders

DALLAS – Late in the Buffalo Sabres’ win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, Jiri Kulich made an end-to-end play that was reminiscent of his offensive exploits in Rochester the last two seasons – and a reminder of his growing confidence at the NHL level.

Kulich scooped up a loose puck deep in the defensive zone, made a move to blaze past St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk at the blue line, and sent a deceptive shot between the pads of goaltender Jordan Binnington for the seventh goal of his rookie season.

It was the sort of opportunity that Kulich is recognizing more frequently during film sessions with assistant coach Seth Appert (his head coach for two years with the Amerks) and cashing in on for the Sabres as of late.

“There’s been games, you watch video with him, he starts to express, ‘OK, I can do some of this stuff here,’” Appert said following the Sabres’ practice at American Airlines Center on Monday.

“I think a lot of times early on, you feel like there’s a lot less time and space (in the NHL) – and there is less time and space, but there is probably more than you think there is when you first get up. I think he’s just acclimating to how to score at this level, how good the goalies are, and how important it is in terms of getting your shot off even quicker and with more deception.”

Kulich’s seven goals this season are tied for fifth among NHL rookies, while his average of 1.14 goals per 60 minutes ranks first among qualified rookie leaders. He’s scored seven points (5+2) in the Sabres’ last 10 games.

The Sabres cited Kulich’s offensive traits – namely his elite shot – as key factors in their decision to draft him 28th overall in 2022. Those skills immediately translated to pro hockey in North America, evidenced by Kulich’s team-leading goal totals for Rochester in each of the last two seasons.

Appert and his coaching staff in Rochester worked largely on Kulich’s defensive habits, the importance of which had sunk in for Kulich by the time he arrived to camp this past fall. He was physically stronger and intent on earning a spot on Buffalo’s roster.

Ironically, it was Kulich’s commitment to defense and success in the faceoff circle that earned the trust of coach Lindy Ruff early this season.

“It’s a real credit to him,” Appert said. “I mean, those are things that we’ve worked on with him. Myself, Michael Peca, Vinny Prospal, put a lot of time in with him on his play away from the puck – forechecking, angling, defensive detail.

“When you get up to the NHL, a lot of times it takes time to learn how to score in this league. It’s a hard league to score in. If your defensive game isn’t in order and you’re not scoring at the same time, usually you get sent back down. It’s a real credit to him, how hard he’s worked, to be good at those things over the last couple years.”

The offense has followed naturally with more experience – as well as more opportunity, which in itself is a product of spending less time in the defensive zone.

According to NHL Edge, Kulich has spent 43.9 percent of his even-strength ice time in the offensive zone, which ranks in the 92nd percentile among all NHL forwards. He ranks first on the Sabres in shots per 60 (8.52) and expected goals per 60 (0.91) at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.

All of those numbers come in spite of the fact that Kulich’s 49 defensive-zone faceoffs rank fifth among league rookies.

“I think what he’s done is his defensive game has allowed him to create more volume of chances lately," Appert said. "When you get a player of his caliber getting more volume of chances, good things tend to happen.”

Here’s more from Monday’s practice in Dallas.

News and notes

1. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin took maintenance days after both players eclipsed 19 minutes in the win on Sunday.

2. Dahlin was named Second Star of the Week by the NHL after tallying seven assists to tie the franchise record for a defenseman over a three-game span.

Read more on the recognition here.

Monday’s practice lines

Here’s how the group lined up without Thompson and Dahlin:

Up next

The four-game road trip continues in Dallas on Tuesday. Coverage on MSG begins at 7:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 8.