Kulich, Subban shine as Amerks blank Crunch, force deciding Game 5

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

Compared to the regular season, playoff hockey is a very different animal, with intensity and physicality ramping up ten-fold while the spotlight intensifies on even the smallest components of every game.

Success is never accidental, which is why special players relish the pressure and thrive when advancement depends on their performance.

Like Jiri Kulich, for instance. The Rochester Americans rookie forward turned 19 just last month but has played with the poise of a seasoned veteran in his first two professional playoff games on the weekend.

After scoring a goal and firing seven shots on goal in Friday’s 8-5 track-meet victory, Kulich made his presence felt yet again on Sunday afternoon as the Amerks again staved off elimination by blanking the Syracuse Crunch 4-0 in front of 7,286 fans at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

While goalie Malcolm Subban was terrific in stopping all 31 Crunch shots, Kulich scored a power-play goal just 3:38 into game and then assisted on the game-breaking second goal by Lawrence Pilut 3:06 into the third.

“Playoffs is the best moments for all season, that’s why we play,” said Kulich, who missed Games 1 and 2 because of a lower body injury.

His return is a big reason why the Amerks will play a little longer. In winning Games 3 and 4, the Amerks tied the best-of-five Calder Cup North Division semifinal series 2-2 and forced a deciding fifth game (7 p.m. Saturday at the Upstate Medical University Arena in downtown Syracuse).

“They’re special moments and you have to earn the right to play in these moments,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said.

So far, Kulich has proven he’s at his best when it matters most. During the World Junior Championship in January, when Kulich took a two-week time out from the American Hockey League to play for his native Czech Republic, he produced seven goals and two assists in seven games in helping his underdog country reach the gold-medal game. The year before, he produced 2-6-8 in seven games.

“He has a knack for big moments, he’s not afraid of the stage at all,” Appert said.

His team collectively showed that same rise-above mentality on home ice this weekend by erasing the 2-0 series deficit after 3-2 and 2-0 losses on the road. They took advantage of the six-day break before Game 3 to make adjustments, fine tune and then extend their season.

“Give our guys a ton of credit; you’re down 2-0, it’s easy to feel down,” Appert said. “I just liked the attitude and the approach the guys took all week.”

Said Pilut: “It was really working for each other, really sticking to what we believe.”

There’s now another six-day break before Game 5. Momentum has clearly swung in favor of the Amerks, but it likely won’t matter by the weekend, just as it didn’t for the Crunch this weekend.

“By what we saw this weekend, we utilized that time from a rest standpoint, from a health standpoint and then making some adjustments,” Appert said. “We’ll need to rest and regroup and then our staff will think about the best things we to do to give ourselves the best chance in Game 5.”

Getting a repeat of Subban’s Sunday performance would obviously be beneficial. He wasn’t good Friday, when the Crunch scored five goals on 28 shots.

Which meant he very likely was going to be a star in Game 4.

“Every time he’s been sloppy this year, he’s responded, and he usually responds resoundingly, because the character and competitiveness he has,” Appert said.

His first big save came 9:37 into the game, when Simon Ryfors – he of the Game 3 hat trick – fired for the lower right side of the net but was denied when Subban kicked out his left left.

Then Felix Robert was stopped on a point-blank shot from the deep slot with 3:10 remaining in the period. Robert even raised his stick to celebrate, only to learn the puck never entered the net.

“I try to be my best, especially when the team needs me the most,” Subban said after his first career pro playoff shutout. “I’m glad we tied the series up but I’m not satisfied yet.”

Said Appert: “Subban was fabulous; both goalies were fabulous.”

Indeed, Syracuse goalie Max Lagace made his share of terrific saves as well, preventing the Amerks from taking control as early as the second period.

“You’re getting chances and you’re not scoring and he’s making acrobatic saves, he’s kicking his leg up behind him … it’s easy to get discouraged and search for offense,” Appert said.

The Amerks, however, didn’t show frustration. That includes rookie winger Isak Rosen, who had four exceptional chances himself but never scored.

“I think that was Rosie’s best game of the year,” Subban said.

The Amerks finally pushed the lead to 2-0 nearly 40 minutes after Kulich’s goal. Pilut drove a slap shot from the center point that hit the stick of Crunch center Gabriel Fortier, abruptly changed direction and sailed in over Lagace’s right shoulder.

The clinching goals were scored by Mason Jobst at 14:50, directly off a faceoff, and Tyson Kozak at 16:11, into an empty net.

The message from the coaching staff before the third period had been simple.

“No prevent defense, no sitting back, safe is death,” Appert said.

That didn’t mean they would abandon defensive responsibilities. But they weren’t going to try to win 2-0 with a last-minute empty-netter.

“We play our best when we’re in attack mode,” Appert said.

Notes: Appert chose to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, inserting Mitch Eliot and taking out winger Matej Pekar. He said that “with some guys being banged up, we just wanted to make sure we had coverage. … Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont served the final game of his two-game suspension and will return to their lineup for Game 5. He was punished by the AHL for an intentional knee-to-knee hit on Amerks winger Filip Cederqvist, who was unable to play this weekend. … Pilut matched Crunch winger Daniel Walcott hit for hit and even drew a retaliatory cross-checking penalty in the second period. “It’s just hard hockey,” Pilut said. “Playoff hockey’s what you love.”