Eichel flying high for Golden Knights, looking forward to 4 Nations for U.S.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jack Eichel will skate onto the TD Garden ice in Boston on Saturday to play an NHL game in his hometown for the first time in more than five years.

Eichel, of course, will be playing for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Boston Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

In 10 days, the center will return to Boston, to TD Garden, to play for and represent the United States against Sweden in the third game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 17. Three days later, he could be playing there again for the championship of the first best-on-best competition since 2016.

These are huge moments for the 28-year-old Boston native, who hasn't played a "home" game in the NHL since Dec. 29, 2019. That was before the world and his life changed -- preCOVID, pretrade to Vegas, precareer-saving neck surgery, preStanley Cup championship.

The best part about it all, the game against the Bruins on Saturday, the 4 Nations Face-Off after that, the chance to win something big wearing the red, white and blue, is that for Eichel it's all happening at the perfect time.

"Probably the best I've ever been," Eichel told NHL.com. "I'm very focused. I'm consistent. Yeah, I feel good. I'm enjoying playing hockey. It's as good of a head space I've been in in quite some time."

Eichel is healthy, and that's significant.

A year ago, Eichel was recovering from knee surgery, which kept him out of 19 games, including when Vegas played in Boston on Feb. 29.

In 2022-23, Eichel missed 13 games with a lower-body injury, including at the Bruins on Dec. 5.

Eichel didn't play until mid-February in the 2021-22 season because he was recovering from his neck surgery that he had in November, shortly after Vegas acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres. He missed Vegas' game in Boston on Dec. 14 of that season.

But now he's on pace for the best individual season of his career with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists) in 54 games. If things keep trending this way, Eichel will blow away his previous NHL high of 82 points in the 2018-19 season.

He has eight goals in his past nine games, including one in a 3-1 win at the New Jersey Devils on Thursday to helped Vegas (32-17-6) end an 0-2-2 skid.

"There's years in your career when you're young, less miles and a few less surgeries and less injuries that obviously you feel good, but in recent years, yes, I would say (this is the best I've felt)," Eichel said. "I've done a lot to get myself to the position I'm in now physically. I feel like I continue to put in a lot of time and effort day in and day out and just try to be as consistent as possible with my routine and what I'm doing to prepare for games, getting myself in the best shape to do that."

Beyond health and performance is Eichel's strong mental makeup. He isn't chasing expectations anymore, no longer the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft that had so much potential and hype that he had to live up to.

That ended with his performance in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Eichel had 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 22 games and helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup.

"What is he now, 28 years old?" Vegas captain Mark Stone said. "From my personal experience he's entering the prime of his career. He's continually gotten better since he's been here. He came in here as a pretty raw offensive player and he's grown in his game in all three parts of the game; power play, penalty kill and 5-on-5. He's become a great two-way player. He can skate the 200 feet as well as anyone. The best players in the league get time because they are who they are. (Connor) McDavid gets time because he's fast and hard to contain. (Nathan) MacKinnon, (Sidney) Crosby, those guys, I think Jack has put himself in that category."

Put it all together and Eichel can look ahead to the next two weeks and, really, go as far as the next 12 months with energy and enthusiasm.

He wants to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. He has his eye on another Stanley Cup run with Vegas. He's hoping for the dream chance to play for the United States in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

These are opportunities that can add to an already decorated resume instead of opportunities to make up for what he hasn't gotten in the NHL.

"I think with some of my previous experiences I've been able to develop some comfortability on some of the bigger stages and moments," Eichel said. "At the end of the day we've never really been in a situation like this, but for me it is a really great time for where I'm at mentally and physically and emotionally. I think this is a good time for not only this 4 Nations but what could take place in the next 12 months. You definitely don't want to look too far ahead, but I'm super-excited. It's something I've dreamed of as a kid and this is an awesome first taste of representing the country, which is something I haven't done in quite some time."