BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Nearly a year of worries of whether he was ever going to play again joyously washed away as Sabres forward Jiri Kulich punched the air, pounded the glass and let out a big roar before being joined by his teammates.
The celebration took on even larger meaning beyond Kulich scoring the go-ahead goal with 6:40 left to secure a 4-3 win over Chicago in which Buffalo rallied from a two-goal deficit in its home opener on Saturday night.
The goal was Kulich’s first in nearly a calendar year after he missed the final 70 games of last season dealing with a blood clot issue.
“Yeah, that was probably the main thing I was dreaming about the whole year, you know, not playing,” Kulich said. “After that one, it was a lot of emotions. So yeah, that one is going to be special for sure.”
Though saying he still has a lot to prove, Kulich continued validating the offseason work he put in to get back in shape after having surgery to remove the blood clot at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in March. The 22-year-old 2022 first-round draft pick from the Czech Republic once again began showing the flashes of offensive talent he displayed by scoring 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games as a rookie two years ago.
That was before Kulich’s career-path was placed into limbo 12 games into last season, when he began experiencing dizzy spells, leading to tests revealing the blood clot.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words how much he’s been grinding and how much he’s really been around and wanting this,” said captain Rasmus Dahlin, who tied the game at 3 some seven minutes earlier. “I’m just super happy for him to be able to play hockey again.”
The goal came at the end of a long shift and after Kulich had the puck roll off his stick while driving to the net. Tage Thompson collected the loose puck and fed Owen Power in the high right circle. Power then threaded a pass through two defenders in front to set up Kulich to score from the lower left circle.
“I was pretty pissed after the first one, but (Thompson) did a great job,” Kulich said. “What a pass by (Power). ... I just had an easy job, just closed my eyes and somehow put it in.”
The Sabres stuck by Kulich all offseason long by including him as part of the team’s developing young core. He opened the game against Chicago centering Buffalo’s fourth line, and then moved up to the third line and finished with 13-1/2 minutes of playing time.
Coach Lindy Ruff placed so much trust in Kulich, he had him on the ice during the final minute after Chicago pulled its goalie for an extra attacker in a bid to tie the game.
Kulich had difficulty finding the right words to express what he was feeling. Though he scored in a preseason game last month, the goal against Chicago was his first in the regular season since scoring in a 5-3 win over Toronto on Oct. 24 — a week before being sidelined.
“It was great to be back, to score a goal and just feel it again, feel the crowd again,” Kulich said, noting his older brother Jaroslav was in the stands, while believing his parents were watching back home. “ I was waiting for this moment. It’s a great feeling."
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