Sabres Recall Kulich Ahead of Game Against Flyers

The Buffalo Sabres announced on Saturday that forward Jiri Kulich was called up from AHL Rochester as the team is in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers. Kulich began the season with the Sabres, appearing in eight games with the club before being loaned to the Americans. He has two goals and three points in four AHL games this season.

The move was made out of necessity as Jordan Greenway left practice early on Friday. Tage Thompson was placed on injured reserve to clear a roster spot for Kulich, giving the Sabres 12 healthy forwards. Greenway is listed as day-to-day and is questionable to play against the Flyers.

Related: Video of Tage Thompson Injury

Where to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)

TV: MSG; NBCSP

Stream: Gotham Sports; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

Sabres Gameday

Aside from Greenway leaving practice early and Thompson being placed on IR, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was limited in practice and will not play in Philadelphia. Luukkonen rotated in net with James Reimer, as Devon Levi is expected to get the start for the Sabres against the Flyers.

As for where Kulich fits in, he will likely slot directly into Greenway’s third-line role if the forward can’t go. The Sabres found some instant chemistry with their top-two line combinations, with their top-six involved in all four goals on Thursday versus the St. Louis Blues.

Thursday’s victory marked Buffalo’s fourth win in five games. Head coach Lindy Ruff discussed the importance of not losing two games in a row, and the team responded with a good effort against the Blues. The club is also focusing on stacking wins, as the Sabres are one point out of third place in the Atlantic Division.

Trade Potential: Could Blues Be a Sabres Trade Partner?

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a similar place as the Sabres, with one fewer standings point than Buffalo. The Flyers have had defense and goaltending inconsistency, allowing the third-most goals per game. Incumbent starter Samuel Ersson is out with a lower-body injury. This leaves the net to two Russian goalies Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov.

The Flyers are led by forward Travis Konecny, who has 19 points in 17 games. Rookie Matvei Michkov is also an attraction this season in Philadelphia, leading all rookies in scoring with 13 points.

Home ice has not been an advantage for Philadelphia, with a 3-4-0 record at home. The Sabres also have a losing record, 2-3-1, on the road, so something has to give on Saturday night.

Injury Report

Buffalo Sabres

• Tage Thompson (Lower Body) Day-to-day [IR]
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Undisclosed) Day-to-day
• Mattias Samuelsson (Lower Body) Week-to-week [IR]

Philadelphia Flyers

• Sean Couturier (Lower Body) Day-to-day
• Samuel Ersson (Lower Body) Out
• Cam York (Upper Body) Out [IR]
• Jamie Drysdale (Upper Body) Out [IR]
• Ryan Ellis (Back) Out [IR]

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards (Projected)

JJ Peterka – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jiri Kulich – Peyton Krebs – Jason Zucker

Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense (Projected)

Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power – Jacob Bryson

Dennis Gilbert – Connor Clifton

Devon Levi

Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards (Projected)

Owen Tippett – Ryan Poehling – Travis Konecny

Anthony Richard – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov

Joel Farabee – Scott Laughton – Bobby Brink

Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Garnet Hathaway

Defense (Projected)

Emil Andrae – Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler – Rasmus Ristolainen

Egor Zamula – Erik Johnson

Goalie (Projected)

Ivan Fedotov

Betting Breakdown

The Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Flyers are essentially a pick’em at the sportsbooks. Based on standings points and the Flyers being the home team, this makes sense.

The PuckLuck model favors the Sabres quite heavily, with the biggest difference being the goaltending. Philadelphia’s Ivan Fedotov does not project well given his adjustment to the NHL last season and the beginning of this one. He has won his last two starts but carries a career save percentage of .848.

The disparity makes the Sabres a great buy on the moneyline, and going reverse puckline at -1.5 could be a sneaky way to boost your earnings.

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For more betting analysis across the NHL, head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*