At the Horn: Sabres 1 - Blues 5

Jack Eichel extended his point streak to five games with a goal, but the Buffalo Sabres fell to the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Thursday at Enterprise Center.
Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in net. Eichel finished the game with three shots on net and a team-high seven shot attempts.

Eichel's goal came with the Sabres down 2-1, but the Sabres were unable to cut down the deficit any more. Alexander Steen scored twice for St. Louis, including an empty net goal in the third period for his first two markers of the season.

What happened

Robert Thomas opened the scoring when he created his own space in the Buffalo zone and put his shot in through traffic 4:47 into the contest.
The Sabres tested Blues netminder Jordan Binnington often early on, making seven saves in the first period, including back-to-back pad stops on Eichel and Lawrence Pilut. He made 17 saves on the night.
Then with 6:31 left in the opening period, Tyler Bozak scored to make it 2-0.
Eichel scored 4:22 into the second period on a great effort. The Sabres captain circled around the net, made his way to the top of the slot and scored in a shooting lane of his own making for his 27th goal of the year.
With 9:43 left in the second David Perron scored on the power play on a shot from the point. Then with 2:36 left, the Blues could've been up 4-1, but Jaden Schwartz's goal was called back after the play was challenged and reviewed, confirming that the Blues were in fact offside during their entry.
However, the Blues were able to go up by three later on when Steen scored 5:36 into the third. He made it 5-1 with an empty-net marker with 4:42 left in regulation.

What it means

The Sabres are now 19-18-7 this season and 6-13-4 on the road.
Eichel has three goals and two assists during his five-game point streak and is now one goal shy of tying his career high in goals, set last year.
The Blues have won eight straight games against Buffalo at Enterprise Center, holding the Sabres to two or less goals in all eight games. In the 13 matchups in St. Louis since Nov. 18, 2000, the Blues are 12-1-0 against Buffalo.
Michael Frolik played his first game for the Sabres, skating 16:44 with two shots. He was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames last week.
Pilut also skated in his first NHL game this season after being recalled earlier this week. He recorded two shots and two hits in 19:42.

Roll the highlight film

The play that generated Eichel's goal started with a great pass from the defensive zone by Rasmus Dahlin:

Coming up

The Sabres host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Faceoff between the clubs, who are both celebrating their 50th years, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.