Takeaways from the second Blue & Gold Scrimmage

The second and final Blue & Gold Scrimmage of training camp presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York is in the books. Team Gold came away with a 6-2 victory after 60 minutes and Team Blue ended the 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime session with a 2-0 lead.
Jack Eichel, Victor Olofsson, Linus Ullmark, Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn were among the players getting their first taste of scrimmage action after missing the first warmup contest on Monday.
During regulation, Team Blue opened with a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Tage Thompson and Taylor Hall, but Gold roared back with goals from Tobias Rieder (who ended up with a pair), Kyle Okposo, Casey Mittelstadt, Jake McCabe and Eric Staal.
Here are a few observations from the scrimmage.

Hall developing chemistry with Eichel, Thompson

Hall has had the opportunity to skate with a number of different players in the week since training camp opened. Over the last few days, he's been on a line with Eichel, who missed the first four days of on-ice sessions - including the first Blue & Gold Scrimmage - due to an upper-body injury.
The two have been working on their timing and it paid off with some nifty plays, particularly at the top and tail of the scrimmage. Eichel and Hall both scored in the overtime period.
"It was fun to play with him. We've had, I think, four skates together now so hopefully we can continue that gelling process," Hall said.
Thompson joined their line during Friday's practice and the 6-foot-7, 219-pound winger showed well again at the scrimmage, scoring the game's first goal on a feed from Hall.
"What we're grabbing onto is the good things they did when they were fresh and they were able to cycle, but also all three - and Tage included - having the skillset to keep plays alive and to keep shifts alive," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "The goal and the chance shortly thereafter where he had also in the slot show how lethal he is when he gets opportunity - one of the hardest shots I've seen when he puts that body in behind it.
"Tage had another good day and he's one of the bright lights of our training camp to date."

Quinn makes strong first impression

Cozens (seventh overall in 2019) and Quinn (eighth overall in 2020) have had a busy few days following the conclusion of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. They flew out of Edmonton after earning silver medals Tuesday night and landed in Buffalo, where they then had to isolate before they could join the Sabres for practice.
They finally took the ice on Friday and suited up for the scrimmage on Saturday.
While Cozens received an extended look by the Sabres before the start of last season, the coaching staff hasn't been afforded the opportunity to have many interactions with Quinn yet.
"What excites the coaching room is the little things he does," Krueger said of Quinn. "There's the little picks, little blocks, little spins, unbelievable confidence on the puck. You can see why with Team Canada, he often was playing in the final minutes of games when they were ahead, actually defending leads - not only is he a scorer. So a very complete game and he was outstanding also on the puck tonight."

Quinn's most noteworthy play came during the second period when he set up Mittelstadt for what proved to be the game winner.
Rasmus Asplund knocked the puck into the slot from the left wing corner and it made its way to Quinn, who could have very easily just one-timed a shot on net. As Carter Hutton squared up to him, Quinn instead hit Mittelstadt with a slick pass as the center cut in at the back door.
Mittelstadt fired a quick wrister in to give Gold the lead with 2:48 remaining in the second.

Playing hard and smart

Forward Zemgus Girgensons sustained a hamstring injury during the last scrimmage that will likely cause him to miss the entirety of the regular season so with that in mind, Krueger said the team approached Saturday's scrimmage with the mindset of trying to play aggressively but respectfully while still maintaining their structure and principles
"We thought the guys found the right balance," Krueger said. "There were some bumps. There was some resistance defensively, but you're not going to get that A-game without the puck. We liked the way the guys went at it today. They showed respect for each other as teammates, but we got done what we needed to get done in these two phases, both ending with games.
"Today had a little more quality to it than Game 1. Today showed flashes of the offensive potential of our key players and at the same time, it was good to see our depth players in action, to see where we can go and with who can go in what role. And then also to have Quinn and Cozens at it.
"Overall, we're pleased with what this game actually showed us."

Marty's 3 Stars

At the conclusion of the scrimmage, Sabres analyst Martin Biron selected his 3 Stars. Here are his picks and with a quick thought on each:
1. Tobias Rieder - "I thought he looked really good for a second consecutive scrimmage so I give him my first star."
2. Cody Eakin - "He showed some speed, killed the penalty - did really well on that - and also had some really nice plays around the net."
3. Jack Eichel - "I thought he looked good. He had a goal in overtime where he just burst down the wing, slowed down a little bit and went high glove on Linus Ullmark. With the plays in the first period as well, I thought he looked great."
Honorable Mention: Linus Ullmark (of course he had to give a goalie a shoutout)