Just like Eich
Sabres players and fans appear to be finally rallying behind their young captain
BUFFALO — Arms raised and palms Up, Jack Eichel skated towards the end boards and called upon the home fans to make some noise.
They obliged. And for once, it wasn’t with a chorus of boos.
Three games in, there’s no way of knowing if this will be the year when the Buffalo Sabres finally take a step forward and qualify for the playoffs. But based on what we’ve seen so far, 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 that it’s the first time since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season that the team is above .500, these are the kind of baby steps that are 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 five-game losing streak. They would finish the season with a league-worst 25 wins.
Today, there’s optimism. And it begins with Eichel.
The 21-year-old, who was named captain before the start of this, his fourth season, took a 4-0 opening-night loss to the Bruins on the chin. But since then, he’s led in every way imaginable.
Two nights after picking up a goal and assist in a 3-1 win against the 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 one-timer 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,” said Eichel. “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 that Connor McDavid is Edmonton’s best player, or Auston Matthews and John Tavares have been Toronto’s best. But they 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.”
“I think he provides a lot of energy for us,” said Housley. “The guys on the bench see it.”
Three games in, there’s a different feeling so far 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,” said Eichel. “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.”