Eichel ‘steps up at big moments’ for Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Playoffs

DENVER -- How good is Jack Eichel?

“I think he’s the best 200-foot player in the game,” Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “I do. And there are some good ones. But he’s right there.”

The forward made a case in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at Ball Arena on Friday.

Eichel scored the tying goal and set up the winner for the Golden Knights, who rallied in the third period for a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche and have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

That gives him 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games, one behind teammate Mitch Marner (seven goals, 12 points) for the NHL lead.

He also helped hold Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon without a goal for the second straight game. MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals in the regular season and entered this series with seven goals on a six-game goal streak.

“He did some things defensively tonight that you probably don’t see that were very important to us,” Tortorella said. “I think he wants to score more. I think he wants to make more plays. There’s not a lot of ice out there. But you can trust him. He’s going to do that stuff. That’s an important part of trying to find your way in playoffs.”

Eichel appreciated the praise.

“Obviously, that’s a very nice compliment,” he said. “There’s a lot of really good 200-foot players in this league. For me personally, just trying to be a complete player, help our (defensemen) when we don’t have the puck, do the little things right, compete, and when you have the opportunity to produce and make plays, do that.

“It’s always been a focus of my game, and I think it’s something that you really need to hone in on this time of year especially. We know how hard it is to win. A lot of that falls on playing hard defensively.”

Eichel didn’t make the playoffs for the first seven seasons of his NHL career -- six with the Buffalo Sabres, one with the Golden Knights.

Then, in his first playoff appearance, he led the postseason with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 22 games while playing well defensively when Vegas won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

The 29-year-old has 61 points (12 goals, 49 assists) in 54 playoff games in the NHL. He reached 60 points in the third fewest games among players born in the United States, after Kevin Stevens (46) and Brian Leetch (49).

“He’s a superstar,” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson, whom the Golden Knights acquired from the Calgary Flames in a trade Jan. 18. “That’s the best way to put it. He’s a superstar. He plays both sides of the ice and leads the way. He’s one of those players you don’t understand how good he is until you play with him.”

Vegas trailed 1-0 in the third period Friday when Eichel took a pass from forward Ivan Barbashev on the rush. He slowed in the right circle, assessed his options and fired a shot past goalie Scott Wedgewood inside the left post, tying the score 1-1 at 9:15. The goal was his first in 11 games, but he’d had 13 assists in his past 10.

“Phenomenal,” Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “I mean, he’s such a good 200-foot player, but man, some of the offensive things he can do with the puck, how smart he is, how patient he is, and he steps up at big moments, and that’s what you need out of your best players.”

Eichel then helped the Golden Knights take a 2-1 lead at 11:22. He passed the puck to the left to Barbashev in the high slot, where Barbashev fired a shot past Wedgewood inside the left post.

Eichel led Vegas with 90 points (27 goals, 63 assists) in 74 games in the regular season. Since debuting with the Golden Knights on Feb. 16, 2022, he has 343 points (127 goals, 216 assists) in 315 regular-season games -- 110 points more than anyone else for them. He has 19 points more than anyone else for them in the playoffs.

“He’s always in the right spot, and he does it all, right?” Andersson said. “He (kills penalties). He (plays on the power play). He plays against their best line and somehow still puts up 90 points in the regular season, and he’s top two in scoring in the playoffs.

“He’s matched up against MacKinnon. He kind of took it upon himself today and got us back in the game, and (he) makes a hell of a play to ‘Barbie,’ and Barbie, hell of a shot. That was the difference in the game. Your best players have to lead for you to have a chance to win.”

The Golden Knights have a chance to take a 3-0 series lead in Game 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“I think my mindset is pretty much the same every game,” Eichel said. “I know what I want to try and accomplish with and without the puck and the way I want to play. It’s being responsible defensively and trying to provide offense when I can. I think that that’s kind of the way that I’ve transformed my game the last few seasons. We have such a great team. It really makes it easy.”

NHL.com international editorial manager Aaron Vickers contributed to this report