Eichel, Sabres give fans reasons to cheer in win over Vegas

Jack Eichel lifted his arms and nodded to the fans in the corner as they pressed against the boards, smirking in a way one does after bringing 16,000 people to their feet.
No, it wasn't an attempt to mimic the goal celebrations from Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane in Sunday's game between the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs. (Eichel spent his evening watching the Houston Texans play the Dallas Cowboys, although he did catch the highlights of the hockey game.)
Eichel's enthusiasm in that moment stemmed from simpler motivations.

"I love to score goals," he said. "I love when our team scores goals, whoever it is."
Eichel scored a pair of them on Monday, then watched Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville add two more as the Sabres earned their second win in a row, 4-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Carter Hutton was once again a reliable presence in net for the Sabres, making 35 saves. The Sabres were outshot 37-17, but that hardly tells the story. They limited mistakes that could lead to grade-A chances against, supported each other as they rushed up the ice and won battles on both ends.
Eichel's energy, meanwhile, was infectious. Less than 48 hours after setting a new career-high in ice time against the New York Rangers, the Sabres captain was buzzing alongside linemates Conor Sheary and Sam Reinhart from the opening shift.
He finished with a team-high four shots and six shot attempts in 19:11. His two-goal outing gives him four points (3+1) in three games to open the season.
"I think he's made a commitment to do it every day, not just when we're under the bright lights," alternate captain Kyle Okposo said. "I think he's done a really good job of setting the tone, setting the pace. He's the best player on our team. If he's the hardest worker every single day, our team's going to follow him."
Eichel was visibly frustrated after the Sabres were unsuccessful on their first power play of the night, one that saw them struggle to gain the offensive zone. His unit got another chance later in the first period, and they learned from their mistakes.
Okposo, knowing Vegas' Pierre-Edouard Bellemare had chased him hard on the first try, drew multiple defenders to the right side before dishing a no-look pass off his backhand to Rasmus Ristolainen at the point. Ristolainen passed to Eichel, alone at the top of the left faceoff circle.
Eichel wound up his stick as he awaited the pass, then did this:

In Buffalo's loss to Boston on opening night, Eichel and his coach agreed that he tried to force too much on offense. A simple approach served him well on his second goal. Pressured as he closed in on the offensive zone, he chipped the puck into the far-side corner, allowing his linemates to do the work.
Sheary was first on the puck, then fed it to Reinhart, who managed to take one look over his shoulder as he was pressured along the boards. He saw Eichel sneaking in alone to the front of the net and delivered a perfect pass to the slot. Eichel roofed a backhand shot behind goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, then left for the corner to celebrate.

After the Sabres staved off a third-period push to seal their win, Eichel brought up a factoid he had seen making its rounds on the internet: at 2-1-0, the Sabres had more wins than losses for the first time since January 2013.
It's early, yes, but he wants to give the fans more reasons to celebrate.
"It's obviously a real young group that we have in here," he said. "There's a lot of new faces, we haven't played together too much. But I think the things you can control are your compete and your attitude and your work. If we do that and we stick together and we compete for each other, I think there's a lot of good things that can happen.
"I know it's only three games in … It's a good start. We have a lot of work to do, but we're going to continue to put the work in practice. I like the direction in which our group's going."

Population: 1

The line of Zemgus Girgensons, Evan Rodrigues and Jason Pominville was arguably Buffalo's best in the season opener against Boston. The trio kept things simple and used their work on the forecheck to create chances, and they would have had a goal if not for a highlight-reel save from Jaroslav Halak.
The trio was re-united on Monday and provided much of the same. This time, they were rewarded when Rodrigues fed Pominville for a one-time goal in front of the net.

"It's amazing, those guys have been the most consistent since they were put together," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "They've had some good opportunities and looks, but very trustworthy, reliable. I can put them in a D-zone faceoff against the opposing team's best lines.
"It was great for them to contribute tonight because they're really playing the right way."

Scandella gets on the board

Sabres defensemen made a habit of scoring goals in the preseason, a trend Scandella continued in the second period. He wound up on a slap shot from the point that hit Vegas forward William Karlsson on its way past Fleury, marking the first goal by a Sabres defenseman this season.

Up next

The Sabres conclude their four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m., or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.