Jack Eichel will face Auston Matthews for the first time in their NHL careers tonight.
Welcome to the Buffalo-Toronto hate fest, boys.
Eichel and Matthews have known one another for some time. They played together on Team USA's World Junior Hockey Championship squad in 2015. They also were teammates for Team Young Stars at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
You won't ever catch Eichel talking junk about Matthews. In public.
That may change if things get greasy on the ice during the Queensway Collision.
One cross check to the head, slash across the wrists, or face wash in the scrum can and will change the whole relationship.
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Welcome to Episode 2 of The Battle Of The Queensway.
The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs will renew acquaintances tonight in The Big Smoke.
Did you know that the home team has won 22 of the last 26 games between the Sabres and the Maple Leafs?
The Leafs defeated the Jack Eichel-less Sabres by a 2-1 score in Buffalo on November 3.
Toronto sits behind the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins in the roost turvy Atlantic Division with 48 points, three behind Boston. But the Maple Leafs have six games in hand on the Bruins and four in hand on the Canadiens (60 points).
The Buffalo has 43 points in 43 games.
The Sabres are 4-8-3 (.367) against the Atlantic Division this season. Their next 3 games (all this week) are against Atlantic teams Toronto, Detroit and Montreal.
On Monday afternoon, the Sabres improved to 8-3-2 against the Western Conference this season, including points in each of their last six games (5-0-1) and wins in each of their last five home games against the West.
Tyler Ennis scored just 19 seconds into his return to the lineup after missing 30 games with a groin injury.
Jake McCabe scored his first goal since March 29, 2016 at Pittsburgh. It was his first career PPG and his first career game-winning goal.
Jack Eichel’s PPG was scored on his eighth shot of the game, tying a career high. Eichel finished the Dallas game with 10 shots, setting the team’s single-game high for the season.
Eichel also set a career high with 13 faceoff wins, going 13-for-19 (68.4%).
Eichel also scored an empty net goal on Monday. Eichel now has 10 goals this season.
Eichel has scored nine points (5G, 4A) in his last 10 games.
The Sabres have improved to 18-7-2 (.704) in Eichel’s career when he scores a goal and 13-3-1 (.794) when he tallies two or more points in a game.
Thanks, Sabres TV
Samson Reinhart earned his 19th assist of the season on Eichel’s goal, matching his assist total from the entire 2015-16 season.
Reinhart has scored 13 points (3G, 10A) in his last 13 games.
Ryan O’Reilly has recorded seven points (1G, 6A) in six games since returning from a four-game absence following his appendectomy.
Rasmus Ristolainen finished the Dallas game tied for 23rd among all NHL skaters with 24 assists.
Ristolainen has recorded an assist on 24.2% of his teammates’ goals. Only one Sabres defenseman has ever recorded an assist on more than 20 percent of his teammates’ goals: Phil Housley (22.6%) in 1989-90.
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Tyler Ennis has 17 points (8G, 9A) in 18 games against the Maple Leafs since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
Matt Moulson has 25 points (16G, 9A) in 29 career games against the Maple Leafs.
Marcus Foligno (1G, 2A) has a point in each of his last three games against Toronto.
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Ryan O’Reilly has 16 points (6G, 10A) in 17 road games this season, including eight points (2G, 6A) in his last eight.
Kyle Okposo has 16 points (8G, 8A) in 22 road games this season, including four points in his last five (2G, 2A).
Jack Eichel has eight points (4G, 4A) in 11 road games this season, including six points in his last six (3G, 3A).
Rasmus Ristolainen has 14 points (1G, 13A) in 22 road games this season, including eight (1G, 7A) in his last 11.
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