Kulich, Rousek, Rosen come up big as Amerks rebound to tie series

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

When the NHL regular season ended, Jiri Kulich was sent back to the Rochester Americans to experience intense playoff pressure, to prove he can perform in the spotlight when it matters most.

Five games into what the Amerks hope will be a long Calder Cup playoff run, Kulich isn’t so sure he is living up to expectations. At least not his own.

“To be honest, I’m still not good enough,” Kulich said. “I have to do more.”

The Amerks will tell you he’s doing plenty. Like on Friday night, when he boomed a rocket one-timer from near the right point past screened goalie Jacob Fowler, propelling the Amerks to a 5-3 victory over the Laval Rocket in Game 2 of the North Division finals.

The power-play goal, Kulich’s second of the playoffs and first of the series, snapped a 3-3 tie with 7:53 remaining and enabled the Amerks to even the best-of-five series in front of a rocking crowd of 9,126 at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

“I don’t think there are many goalies in the NHL stopping that shot,” said winger Isak Rosen, who scored twice, including the clinching empty-net goal in the final minute.

While the shot – a laser into the top left corner of the net – was a thing of beauty, so, too was the pass that set him up. From deep in the left circle, Lukas Rousek saucered the puck out to near the right point.

Kulich dropped to his right knee as he walked into the shot and with Josh Dunne creating a screen at the top of the crease, Fowler had no chance.

Was he surprised that a pass of 50 to 60 feet could elude so many bodies and sticks and get to him?

“Not at all,” Kulich said. “He’s always making those plays.”

Said Amerks coach Michael Leone: “There’s probably three or four guys in the league that can make that pass.”

Once ahead, the Amerks didn’t go into protect mode. Instead, they maintained the style of play they employed all night, using a relentless forecheck and high-tempo style to frustrate the Rocket. In 60 minutes the Amerks allowed just 19 shots against goalie Devon Levi – and six in the third period – while firing 36 on the Laval net.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Leone said. “From start to finish, we really played an excellent hockey game. We played with pace, we pressured the puck. They maybe had 10 shots five-on-five.”

While Kulich scored the game-winner, and while Rosen scored twice and Kale Clague and Rousek once each, it was hard to find anyone who didn’t play a role.

“It’s been our group all year,” Leone said. “I’m just really proud of the group. We’re a skilled group but we played really hard. Hele (Konsta Helenius), he’s 18 years old; he must have had 10 hits. Rousek, he’s a winner, he makes plays.”

In the final minute, Leone had Noah Ostlund, Kulich and Rosen as the forward line to defend against Laval’s extra-attacker pressure. That’s a statement to how well the trio can play at both ends, and they rewarded his faith. Ostlund and Kulich won a puck battle on the wall and sent Rosen away for a breakaway empty-net goal.

And it was quite different from Game 1 on Wednesday, won by Laval 5-4. Though that was a one-goal game, the Rocket were very much in control for much of the game.

But on Friday the Amerks were the better team. They were fast, they escaped their zone efficiently, they won battles on the wall and they scoffed when the Rocket attempted to discourage them with a big hits, cross checks and after-the-whistle punches.

Of course, this was very much a backs-to-the-wall game. Lose and fall behind 2-0 in the series with the final three games all to be played in Laval would have made advancement to the Eastern Conference finals a near-impossible task.

Rosen said that even though “we haven’t talked about it,” the players knew it was must-win time.

And now they like very much the position they’re in. They Amerks were 23-9-2-2 on the road this season. Only the Hershey Bears earned more road points (54) than the Amerks 50.

“Now it’s a best-of-three,” Leone said. “We’ve been really good on the road. We’re comfortable playing in that environment.”

As they did in Game 1, the Amerks used an early power play to take the lead, and the play was very similar to that first goal on Wednesday.

Dunne won a faceoff in the left circle, Konsta Helenius chipped it back to Clague at the left point and he sauntered to the center of the ice before driving a slap shot past Fowler at 5:58.

Five playoff games, five goals for Clague, with one in each.

Fowler prevented the Amerks from building a larger lead, robbing Mason Jobst on a power play at 7:55 before stopping breakaways by Isak Rosen at 9:02 and Tyson Kozak at 11:45.

Rosen admitted he was probably thinking too much about what move to make, saying he was considering “some fancy (stuff).”

The Rocket then tied the score at 13:49 when Laurent Dauphin established position in front of Helenius at the top of the crease and redirected in a shot from the right circle by Alex Barre-Boulet.

The Amerks needed just 34 seconds to regain the lead. Ryan Johnson wristed a shot from the center point that Rosen tipped, with the puck deflecting past Fowler off the shin of defenseman Adam Engstrom.

“I saw RJ was ready to shoot and I tried to get a screen,” Rosen said. “RJ made a perfect shot that I could tip.”

A turnover by defenseman Zach Metsa gave Lucas Condotta a goal 4:41 into the second period, tying the score 2-2. Metsa’s outlet pass from deep in the circle to Levi’s right hit winger Luke Tuch and caromed crazily across the slot and Condotta was alone to fire it home.

Another unfortunate carom – from the Amerks perspective – allowed Jared Davidson to give the Rocket their first lead. Owen Beck’s shot from the left circle was blocked by Helenius but bounced all the way to the right circle and Davidson’s knuckleball of a shot eluded a lunging Levi.

The Amerks, however, tied the score before the period ended after a won’t-be-denied shift by Rousek, Rosen, Jiri Kulich, Metsa and Nikita Novikov.

Metsa’s shot from the center point hit Rosen and then Fowler before bouncing up into the air and dropping to the right of the crease. Rousek darted in and, as he dived, took a backhanded swipe to swat the puck past Fowler.

Leone said the goal was massive.

“To go to into the third period tied … I just thought if we were tied we would have a really good chance,” he said.

Dunne had a big say in the outcome. He drew the penalty in the final four minutes that allowed the Amerks to kill off more time while protecting the lead. He took the puck to the net, the battled to keep it alive and defenseman Logan Mailloux eventually hit him with a high stick while trying to drive him from the crease.

But it was a goaltender interference penalty by free crease-invader Florian Xhekaj at 10:59 that led to the winning goal.

“Technically it cost them the game,” Leone said.