Eichel says winning record shows Sabres finally are coming together

BUFFALO -- Jack Eichel understands the depth of despair the Buffalo Sabres and their loyal fans have toiled in for more than half a decade.

The Sabres captain wants to help them and their supporters out of those dark times.
Buffalo went 2,081 days without a winning record, a streak of futility that came to an end with a 4-2 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights at KeyBank Center on Monday.
Eichel, who scored two goals in the win, knows the season is three games young, but he said every positive step must be embraced by a team that has not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2010-11.
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"I think we're playing with a bit more confidence," Eichel said. "The things we can control is compete and attitude."
The Sabres had a 2-1-0 record Jan. 24, 2013, after a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. They lost 3-1 at Carolina the following night in the second game of a home-and-home and had not achieved a winning record again before improving to 2-1-0 Monday.
Eichel was a 16-year-old kid attending high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the time. He has grown up a lot over the past five-plus years. Now in his fourth NHL season after being selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, he's seeing signs that the Sabres are too.
"I think we're coming together as a group," said Eichel, who was named captain Oct. 3. "We're not a finished product, by any means, but I think you can see the togetherness we're starting to play with. There are still a lot of things we can get better at and clean up, but there are a few things you can control, and one of them is your compete level. I thought we competed the past few games.
"At times I've thought we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers. … Still, when you are winning games and you are not playing your best, it's a good sign."

What a difference four days make.
The Sabres were full of optimism after an offseason when general manager Jason Botterill selected defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, signed free agent goalie Carter Hutton, and traded for forwards Connor Sheary and Jeff Skinner.
But a lackluster 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in their season opener Oct. 4 ended with the Sabres booed off the ice.
And rightly so.
Coach Phil Housley didn't mince words afterward."This can't happen again," he said.
Translation: Being outworked would not be tolerated.

Message received. The Sabres rebounded with a 3-1 victory against the New York Rangers on Saturday before defeating the Golden Knights.
Defenseman Marco Scandella, grinning ear to ear after the win against Vegas, said there is a new sense of pride in the Buffalo dressing room.
"It's a credit to our guys," Housley said of the Sabres' first winning record in more than five years. "They came to training camp and worked hard. They swallowed some pride against Boston but refocused.
"We have to clean up some things, but at least now we're getting some results. And that's great for their confidence."
Eichel wasn't lacking any of that when he deked around Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to put the Sabres up 2-0 at 4:58 of the second period. The goal unleashed a lot of pent-up emotion for Eichel, who celebrated by putting his glove near his head and waving to the fans.
Asked if he was mimicking the celebrations of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews in Toronto's 7-6 overtime victory Sunday, Eichel said he was not.
"You know what, when I did it, I wasn't even thinking of their [celebration]," he said. "Mine was a bit different. They went to the ear. Did I go to the ear? I don't think I did.
"I was just excited. I love to score goals. I love when anyone on our team scores."
More than anything else, Eichel loves to win, and he's hoping this recent taste of it becomes a long-overdue trend for the Sabres.