Rookie Jiri Kulich scored two goals, including the game-winner with 2:04 left, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.
On a fast break, Sabres forward Tage Thompson passed across the high slot to Kulich, who fired a shot past Nashville goalie Justus Annunen (23 saves) to score his second two-goal game. This was Buffalo’s second win in a row, a rare feat for the team in January.
Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker also scored, and Rasmus Dahlin had two assists for Buffalo, which bounced back after blowing an early 2-0 lead.
Brady Skjei contributed a goal and an assist for Nashville, which has now lost three straight after a five-game winning streak.
The Sabres started strong, possibly inspired by the pregame ceremony that honored former enforcer Rob Ray’s induction into the team’s Hall of Fame. Buffalo took a 2-0 lead just 8:41 into the game.
At 2:25, McLeod managed to push in a rebound from Dahlin’s shot. A little more than six minutes later, Kulich skated in unguarded and scored on Annunen.
But by the end of the first period, Nashville had tied the game.
At 9:04, Luke Evangelista, back after missing eight games due to injury, tipped in a shot from Justin Barron near the blue line. The Predators tied the game with 2:54 left in the first period, when Skjei’s slap shot deflected off McLeod’s stick and went over the head of Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (28 saves).
Nashville then took a 3-2 lead just 2:51 into the second period, when Tommy Novak tipped in another shot from Skjei.
However, the Sabres responded and tied the game 3-3 with 7:34 left in the second. Zucker finished off a two-on-one break with Alex Tuch.
Nashville’s starting goalie, Juuse Saros, was unavailable due to illness.
