Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Sabres open their Sabres Prospects Challenge on Friday night with a dominant offensive performance in a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Harborcenter in Downtown Buffalo.
Just past the halfway point of the first period, the Sabres got on the board first as Jiri Kulich was able to find a hole through Blue Jackets goaltender Nolan Lalonde. Kulich was able to deposit the puck off an original shot from the point by defenseman Vsevolod Komarov that hit Isak Rosen in front.
Buffalo ended up outshooting the Blue Jackets, 16-4, in the opening 20 minutes, but only managed to come away with a 1-0 lead.
Just under four minutes into the second period, the Blue Jackets were able to tie the game at 1-1, as forward Gavin Brindley went uncovered as he gobbled up a rebound from a point shot off the stick of Noah Collins.
Less than two minutes later, though, the Sabres managed to re-take the lead on the power play thanks to Olivier Nadeau.
As Kulich approached the Columbus zone on the man advantage, he fed a pass to the streaking to winger Viktor Neuchev, who fired a puck toward the Blue Jackets net. Lalonde kicked a juicy rebound to the front of the net, where Nadeau won the foot race and backhanded his first goal of the tournament.
Buffalo continued its offensive dominance in the second period with an 19-9 shot advantage, but Lalonde helped keep Columbus alive entering the third period, down just 2-1.
Kulich was able to give the Sabres some breathing room early in the third period with an impressive effort for his second goal of the game. The Czech forward was able to power his way to the Blue Jackets net, where he was then able to put a move on Lalonde and tuck the puck past his extended right leg.
Some frustrations started to boil over late in the game for the Blue Jackets, who had no answer for Sabres goalie Scott Ratzlaff. It started with defenseman Nick DeAngelis dropping the gloves with Sabres tournament invitee Ty Cheveldayoff, and then Mael Lavigne urged another tournament invitee Jack Bodin to fight with time dwindling down in the game.
In the end, the Sabres dominated in the shots department, 41-21, en route to the 3-1 victory.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 10:44 - Jiri Kulich (1) (Isak Rosen, Vsevolod Komarov)
CBJ: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 5:23 - Olivier Nadeau (1) PPG (Viktor Neuchev, Jiri Kulich)
CBJ: 3:41 - Gavin Brindley (1) (Noah Collins, Luca Del Bel Belluz)
Third Period:
BUF: 2:30 - Jiri Kulich (2) (Noah Laauoan)
CBJ: NONE
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Losi & Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Nolan Lalonde - CBJ
2.) Jiri Kulich - BUF
3.) Noah Ostlund - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres will continue their Sabres Prospects Challenge on Saturday with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils. Faceoff at Harborcenter is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and can be heard on WGR with Brian Koziol, Paul Hamilton and Brayton Wilson.