Kulich’s defense helps Amerks hold off Utica in Sjalin’s debut

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

With 16 games remaining in the American Hockey League’s regular season, the playoff push is very much underway for the Rochester Americans.

Their biggest test to date came this weekend, a three-in-three endurance test that included two games with the first-place Syracuse Crunch and another with the down-but-not-out Utica Comets.

While they didn’t necessarily ace the test, they did win two of three games and, in doing so, demonstrated qualities that will be necessary to win in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Such as: Their once high-scoring young guns, Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, are developing a complete game and as a team they are capable of protecting a lead when it matters most, as they did Sunday afternoon in a 3-2 victory over Utica.

Brendan Warren scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period – just 45 seconds after the Comets tied the game – and the Amerks and goalie Devon Levi made sure the Utica didn’t score again.

The victory vaulted the Amerks back into third place (62 points), a point more than Belleville and Toronto, four more than Laval and six more than Utica. Had the Comets won in regulation on Sunday, they would have closed within two points of Rochester.

“To get two points is huge but to not give up one by getting to overtime against a team that is behind you is critical,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said.

Levi was in charge in his crease in the third period and he had plenty of help, be it from the defensive corps that included newcomer Calle Sjalin but also Kulich, who played on a line with Rosen and Brett Murray.

Still with just one goal over his past 18 games, and that came Feb. 16, Kulich made two key defensive plays on Sunday. Midway through the second period, he tied up Max Willman from behind and prevented what would have been a Grade A scoring chance from the right hash marks.

With 2:05 to play in the game and the Comets pressuring, he did the same thing to former Amerk Kyle Criscuolo, also at the right hash marks in the attacking zone with traffic in front of Levi.

“Those are some pretty darn good players, guys that are elite players, probably 30-year-old men that have both played in the NHL – not easy assignments,” Appert said. “It’s a big ask.

“With some of the injuries we have, that line got the hardest assignment all three games. They had (Alex) Barre-Boulet in both Syracuse games and they had Criscuolo tonight. Those are not easy tasks and they did a really good job and helped us win two games.”

Viktor Neuchev and Murray scored the other goals for the Amerks.

Neuchev gave the Amerks a 1-0 lead at 16:04 of the first period when he darted down the right of the slot and whipped a backhander past goalie Erik Kallgren. Brandon Biro set him up by making a backhanded pass to the tape from the left-wing half wall.

The goal ended his eight-game goalless drought, which came on the heels of a 12-game stretch when he produced 5 goals, 9 assists and 14 points.

Murray extended the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal 2:01 later. Rosen didn’t figure into the next Amerks goal – by Murray 2:01 later – but in reality he deserved a big assist. He barged into Willman at center, and in the process delivered an elbow to the ear, but no penalty detected by referees Riley Brace or Adam Tobias. An angry Willman retaliated with a cross-check, which the officials did see.

The Amerks needed just 15 seconds with the man advantage to produce Murray’s goal. Sjalin fired a high wrist shot from the right point that Kallgren stopped but the rebound dropped into the crease and Murray slam-dunked it home for his 15^th goal, and fourth in five games.

Sjalin’s Amerk debut

Murray immediately grabbed the puck as a souvenir for Sjalin, who was playing in his first game as an Amerk. He was obtained in the Friday trade by the Buffalo Sabres that sent Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers. He arrived in Rochester on Saturday.

“I’m glad it happened because I wasn’t getting an opportunity there,” Sjalin said of the trade.

He was used in all situations on Sunday, including the power play, and assisted on the goal.

“I haven’t played the power play since back home in Sweden,” said Sjalin, who is in his second AHL season.

He’ll likely get more power play time moving forward.

“I think that’s a bit of a challenge at times for us this year,” Appert said, “delivering pucks from the top from the point consistently, to get our two best power-play players – (Michael) Mersch and Murray are our two most elite power-play players, they’re two of the best in the American Hockey League in front of the net. We need to get pucks in there and we did a really good job getting the puck in there to them tonight.”

Sjalin knows just one member of the Amerks, Rosen. They were teammates in Sweden for two seasons with Leksands and parts of a third with the Leksands junior team. He phoned Rosen shortly after the trade to get insight into the organization.

“You saw on the power play, he’s getting shots through to the goalie and he’s changing the angle of shots,” Rosen said. “He hadn’t been playing much in Charlotte and this is great for him to get a new opportunity.”

Warren injured

Warren gave the Amerks the lead late in the second period with his first goal (and point) since Jan. 19, a string of 14 games played.

But he left the game with 8:38 remaining after a Kulich shot deflected and hit him in the mouth and/or nose. Appert did not have a status update.