Sabres vs. Blackhawks: Jiri Kulich's First Goal in Nearly a Year Completes Buffalo's Home-Opener Rally

Jiri Kulich missed the net from in close, and for a beat it looked like the chance was gone. Then Tage Thompson chased the puck down behind the goal, Owen Power got it back to Kulich beside the crease, and the second try did not miss.

Kulich's snap shot with 6:40 left, his first goal in nearly a calendar year according to the AP, finished off a comeback from two goals down as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in their home opener on Saturday night at KeyBank Center. Rasmus Dahlin tied it early in the third, Thompson had a goal and an assist, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 12 saves.

Chicago Comes Out Swinging

The Blackhawks arrived 0-2-0 after getting outscored 11-2 in road losses at Vegas and Utah, per NHL.com, and for a period they looked like a team tired of hearing about it. At 7:59 of the first, Alex Vlasic carried the puck down the left side and centered it to Ryan Donato in the slot for a 1-0 lead. At 11:24, Teuvo Teravainen fed Anton Frondell in front, Frondell pulled Luukkonen toward him, and Tyler Bertuzzi tapped the pass into a wide-open net. That is tic-tac-toe in its purest form.

Buffalo's skaters admitted the opening stretch was ugly. "Our first 5 to 10 (minutes) of the first was a little sloppy," Thompson said, per NHL.com.

Jack Quinn got the Sabres on the board at 16:24, snapping a wrist shot from above the slot into the top corner off a feed from Zach Metsa. Quinn has now scored in both of Buffalo's games, and coach Lindy Ruff thought he left goals on the table. "I think he could have had three tonight easy," Ruff said.

A Seesaw Second

Thompson tied it at 5:41 of the second with a sequence that was half face-off clinic, half net-front bully ball. He won the draw back to Louis Crevier at the right point, then went straight to the net and redirected Crevier's shot past Spencer Knight.

Chicago answered late, and the timing was cruel. Oliver Moore had just served an interference minor, and moments after stepping out of the box he jumped into a 2-on-1 and fired a wrist shot from low in the right circle that rolled through Luukkonen's pads at 18:18. Frondell and Vlasic each picked up their second assist of the night, and Chicago carried a 3-2 lead into the third.

The Turning Point: Dahlin, Then Kulich

The captain answered first. At 6:10 of the third, Peyton Krebs fed Dahlin at the right hash mark off the rush, and Dahlin beat Knight with a snap shot on the stick side to make it 3-3.

Then came the 4-on-4 that decided it. Cole Smith and Zach Benson took tripping minors seven seconds apart, the ice opened up, and at 13:20 Kulich found the spot he had been dreaming about. Kulich, who played only 12 games last season, last scored on Oct. 24, 2025, according to NHL.com.

"That was probably the main thing I was dreaming about the whole year (after) not playing," Kulich said. "After that one, it was a lot of emotions. So, yeah, that one is going to be special for sure."

Dahlin was even happier for him. "It's hard to put into words how much he's been grinding and how much he's really been around and wanting this," the captain said.

Stars of the Night

Kulich scored the winner in 13:31 and won seven of nine face-offs. Thompson had a goal and an assist in 19:41, won 10 of 18 draws and made the key play behind the net on the winner. Dahlin scored, logged 25:23 and threw four hits. Power played 25:12 and picked up the primary assist on Kulich's goal, his third assist of the season.

Luukkonen faced only 15 shots and was beaten three times, but he blanked Chicago in the third period, and NHL.com noted he is now 7-0-0 in his career against the Blackhawks.

For Chicago, Frondell and Vlasic each had two assists, with Vlasic finishing plus-3 in 22:33. Donato, Bertuzzi and Moore scored, and Knight made 24 saves on 28 shots. Coach Jeff Blashill liked the effort even in defeat. "I thought our compete and our kind of swagger was way better," he said.

Stats That Matter

• 28-15: Buffalo's shot advantage, including a steady push after the first period.
• 29-18: Buffalo's edge in hits.
• 0-for-3 and 0-for-2: Buffalo's and Chicago's power plays, respectively. Nobody cashed in.
• 7: Straight wins for Buffalo over Chicago. The AP noted the Sabres are 10-0-1 against the Blackhawks since a 4-1 loss on Nov. 17, 2019.
• 7-0-0: Luukkonen's career record against Chicago.

What It Means

Buffalo is 1-1-0 after a 6-3 loss at Columbus in Thursday's opener. The Sabres also unveiled a new banner before the game, honoring the franchise's first Atlantic Division title in a season in which it snapped an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, according to the AP. They host Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Chicago is 0-3-0, all on the road, and has now blown a 2-0 lead and a third-period lead in the same night. Vlasic kept his focus forward. "I think we've learned from our mistakes in the first couple of games and there's no point in dwelling on it," he said. The Blackhawks finally play at home on Tuesday night against St. Louis.

The night came with a side plot. Earlier in the day, Patrick Kane revealed his free-agency choice this offseason came down to his hometown Sabres or a return to Chicago, per the AP. He picked Chicago on a two-year deal after three seasons in Detroit, returning to the franchise where he spent his first 16 seasons and won three Stanley Cups.

Closing Take

Kane spent Saturday talking about his Sliding Doors moment, then watched the Buffalo version of the movie play out from the other bench. Every good sports story needs a comeback arc, and this one had two: a team climbing out of a two-goal hole, and a 22-year-old who waited nearly a year for one more celebration. Buffalo got both endings. Chicago got another road loss and a home opener that cannot come soon enough.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.