ROCHESTER – Don’t let the 4-0 final fool you. For much of Sunday afternoon, the Americans held a tenuous grip on a one-goal lead against the Syracuse Crunch.
After rookie winger Konsta Helenius put them up early, the Amerks could’ve unraveled in the second period of Game 2 of their AHL North Division semifinal series.
The Crunch buzzed around goalie Devon Levi, outshooting the home team 15-6 and also hitting the post during a late power play.
The Amerks lost Vsevolod Komarov when Jack Finley’s haymaker to the defenseman’s face ended their spirited bout. Minutes later, Jack Rathbone departed the game after Gabriel Dumont knocked him face-first into the boards, briefly leaving the Amerks with just four defensemen.
Rathbone, however, returned to help the Amerks kill a penalty late in the period.
Then with 18 seconds left, Syracuse’s Joel Teasdale took a slashing penalty. Four seconds later, Amerks center Jiri Kulich one-timed the puck past goalie Brandon Halverson from the right circle.
“It’s a 4-0 game, but the score doesn’t really show you really what happened out there,” Levi, the Buffalo Sabres’ top goalie prospect, said after his 35-save shutout helped the Amerks grab a commanding 2-0 lead in best-of-five series. “It’s a game of bounces. Second period (the puck went) off the post on me, and then we draw a penalty, we score, Kulich, 2-0. That’s a huge game-changer.
“So we got fortunate, but I think we put in the work to get the bounces.”
Kulich’s goal, his first power-play score all season, was the dagger. Amerks center Josh Dunne started the play by winning the faceoff back to defenseman Kale Clague, who faked a shot before feeding Kulich.
“That was a big one,” Amerks coach Mike Leone said. “Any time you score with a minute left in the period, it’s tough for teams to come back on you. Big-time faceoff. Big-time play.”
The Sabres assigned Kulich, 21, to Rochester for the Calder Cup Playoffs so he could enjoy moments like he did Sunday. Following a 15-goal rookie season, they believe a chance to win a championship would buoy his development.
“That’s why (Kulich’s) here, to have those big moments, and when we needed it the most, he came through in the clutch,” Leone said.
Kulich said: “(The) power play’s mostly winning those games in the playoffs, so that’s what we needed, for sure.”
The Czech scored shortly after blocking a shot. After hobbling to the bench, he tested the injury during a break in the action and quickly returned.
“I guess my shin pads are just too short,” Kulich joked. “Yeah, it was painful, but after a minute it was good.”
Levi was good throughout the contest in Blue Cross Arena, earning his first postseason shutout in his seventh career appearance. Counting the regular season, he has recorded eight shutouts in 44 outings with the Amerks this year.
He said he saw the puck better than he did in Friday’s 3-2 win.
“I was seeing well,” Levi said. “I think they maybe had one or two tips, which is where they get their offense. And, yeah, the D, even before was blocking shots out there, making my job easy tonight.”
Clague scored 5:53 into the third period before winger Isak Rosen’s empty-net goal closed the scoring before the crowd of 6,884 fans.
“I think everything throughout the course of the year prepared us for this moment,” Leone said. “You talk about being selfless, adversity throughout the game, the highs and lows, they willed it out, really. Incredible effort from everyone.
“Yeah, you could feel it on the bench, like, we were connected.”
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After the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Finley knocked the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Komarov down, an official quickly signaled for help. The rookie stayed on the ice while being attended to before being helped off.
Komarov did not return after the fight 16:38 into the second period.
“It’s unfortunate,” Leone said. “You never want to see that happen. He’s a tough kid. He’s competitive. It’s a tough play. I don’t really have update. I know he’s doing better. He got hit pretty good, so I think the guys want to do it for him, too.”
Levi said “everybody knew we were doing it for him.”
“Scary to see that,” he said. “Super proud of him for being the guy to step and try to change the momentum of a game like that. They had the momentum at that time of that game, and for him to go into that fight against a tough guy like Finley, we were going to go fight back for him.”
Notes: Clague, who scored Friday’s winner, registered three points in Game 2. … Kulich also assisted on Clague’s goal. … Among the Amerks’ scratches were rookie forward Anton Wahlberg (sick) and defenseman Erik Brannstrom (healthy). … Game 3 is Thursday in Syracuse.
