Eichel gives Buffalo hope for better days ahead
Sabres off to good start following Sunday’s 4-2 victory over visiting Golden Knights
Arms raised and palms facing up, Jack Eichel skated toward the end boards and called upon the home fans to make some noise.
They obliged. And for once it wasn’t a chorus of boos.
Three games in, there’s no way of knowing if this will be the year the Buffalo Sabres finally take a step forward and qualify for the playoffs. But based on what we’ve seen, they certainly look a lot better than they did a year ago, or any of the previous five years.
Three games in, the Sabres have a 2-1-0 record. It might not sound like much, but considering it’s the first time since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season that the team is above .500, these are the kinds of baby steps worth getting the camcorder out for.
“I know it’s only three games in, but you know what? It’s a good start,” Eichel said after Monday’s 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights. “I like the direction that our group’s going right now.”
At this time last year, the Sabres were in the midst of a fivegame losing streak. They would finish the season with a leagueworst 25 wins.
Today, there’s optimism. And it begins with Eichel.
The 21-year-old, who was named captain before the start of his fourth season, took a 4-0 opening-night loss to the Boston Bruins on the chin. But since then, he has led in every way imaginable. Two nights after picking up a goal and assist in a 3-1 win against the New York Rangers, it was Eichel who scored twice on Monday to give Buffalo an early 2-0 lead. And with the Golden Knights looking to tie things up, it was Eichel who was on the ice in the final minutes to ensure the win.
“He’s doing the right things,” said head coach Phil Housley. “He’s leading by example, he’s making the right decisions with the puck. I know in the first game he tried too much, but he’s trusting his teammates now. It’s good to see.”
Buffalo was on the power play when Eichel blasted a onetimer over Marc-Andre Fleury’s shoulder (“He really hammered it,” said Housley) to give his team a 1-0 lead. He then made it 2-0 on a backhand deke five minutes into the second period after Sam Reinhart found him alone in front of the net.
“I’m just excited,” Eichel said. “It’s good to score and I love to score goals. I love when our team scores goals.”
The Sabres need this out of Eichel. They not only need him to be their best player in the way Connor McDavid is Edmonton’s best player or Auston Matthews and John Tavares have been Toronto’s best. They also need him to be their most resilient.
What did Eichel do after getting booed off the ice in the season-opening loss? He responded with eight shots, three goals and one assist in back-to-back wins.
“A little bit of everything,” Reinhart said of Eichel’s contributions. “It’s the excitement we need and the confidence we need in this room. It’s a lot of fun when we are going.”
Housley agreed.
“I think he provides a lot of energy for us,” the coach said.
I know it’s only three games in, but you know what? It’s a good start. I like the direction that our group’s going right now.
“The guys on the bench see it.”
Three games in, there’s a different feeling in Buffalo.
Maybe it’s because the Sabres have a goalie in Carter Hutton who is stopping the puck with regularity and giving the team a chance to win. Or maybe it’s because they have so many new faces who weren’t part of the constant losing from the previous years.
Or maybe it’s because they have a leader who is actually leading the way.
“We’re coming together as a group,” Eichel said. “We’re not a finished product by any means, but I think you can see the desperation in which we play with and the togetherness that we’ve played with the last two games. There’s still a lot of things that we want to get better at and clean up … but when you’re winning games and not playing your best, I think it’s a good sign.”