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It's Throwback Thursday.
I'm here at Jack Eichel's home debut for the 2016-17 season.
Jack and teh Sabres ripped the Senators 5-4 on Tuesday night. Eichel scored a goal and an assist in 17:08 TOI. I fully and completely expect the BU Terrier legend to put on a show while skating on the same sheet as his summer shinny league winger, Jimmy Vesey of the Rangers.
Check out this excellent trip down memory lane to where it all started for Sabres super sophomore Jack Eichel.
Thanks, MSG
Also, two monumental moments for Eichel.
**
The holiday shopping continues in Buffalo tonight.
I've been telling you for several weeks that a few NHL teams continue to scout the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Amerks. They are familiar eyes in the sky tonight.
The Vancouver Canucks have once again sent their pro scout to Buffalo.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have dispatched their director of hockey administration to watch Sabres-Rangers.
The Anaheim Ducks have sent their director of player personnel to balmy Buffalo.
Vancouver willing to move Jake Virtanen for Evander Kane?
Is Columbus willing to trade a D for a big body, energy forward with skill?
If Anaheim is unwilling to trade star D Cam Fowler would they instead move big lefty, top four Shea Theodore? Zemgus Girgensons was on Anaheim's radar screen last spring before the NHL trade deadline.
Might all interested parties be scouting Zemgus Girgensons?
Zemgus, the former first rounder, skated only 7 minutes TOI in Ottawa while Carrier was promoted to the number one trio while playing 12 minutes TOI.
In 21 games with Eichel on the shelf and Dan Bylsma begging for an offensive hero to emerge, Girgensosn went largely unnoticed scoring only 1 goal and 3 assists. He's regressed from a 20-goal man to an energy role forward of late. The big Latvian's strengths are his speed, physicality and finishing ability. He's on pce to score 4 goals this season. Bylsma and Murray expect more offense from Girgensons. It's in him.
Girgensons has been given ample opportunity to skate, create, defend and score.
Where is his confidence? Will he ever find it?
I've been saying for one and a quarter seasons that Girgensons is failing to live up to the demanding expectations of Dan Bylsma. Unlike Marcus Foligno, Girgensons has failed to deliver the goods under Bylsma. Like Tyler Ennis, Zemgus has never rid himself of the habits instilled in him by former coach and mentor Ted Nolan.
The one positive to be pulled from the Eichel long term injury is that Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray got a firsthand look at their organizational forward depth.
The results are very positive in that on most nights while Eichel was injured, there were several Rochester Amerks forwards in teh lineup. Carrier has taken the bull by the horns and doesn't appear to be yielding to anybody. He has one goal in 12 games and has been a whirling dervish hitting opponents and battlling for position in th elow post. Justin Bailey was held pointless in two games in Buffalo, however, has checked the boxes in terms of his size, speed, skill and jam. Hudson Faschimng played six strong games before he was injured. Fasching projects to be a terror on the wing and in the paint. Derek Grant, acquired in a trade with Ottawa last season, has been a 54% faceof man and a godsend on the penalkty kill. Grant is Paul Gaustad Version 2.0 and has offensive upside yet. Cole Schneider is a big, brave, skilled winger who has a knack for finishing (0 goals in 4 games in BUF). Nick Baptiste potted two goals in his 12 games in Buffalo and his unique blend oif size-sped-skill is enticing.
I think it's safe to say that Derek Grant and Will Carrier have leap frogged Zemgus Girgensons on the Buffalo depth chart.
**
At the 2:12 mark of the first period of Tuesday night's 5-4 win in Ottawa, Sabres starting goalie Robin Lehner excused himself from the game with a cramping issue in his hip. His backup Anders Nilsson took charge of the cage and withstood a three goal Ottawa barrage to deliver the win in Jack Eichel's season debut.
Lehner skated at Wednesday's practice. Afterwards, Dan Bylsma called Leaner Lehner a day to day situation. Bylsma said Lehner was "90%".
Lehner took the morning skate and was the first goalie to leave the ice on Thursday.
Lehner must have suffered a setback in his recovery from his hip ailment.
Why have the Sabres have called up Linus Ullmark from Rochester?
Ullmark will backup Anders Nilsson tonight versus Hank Lundqvist, Jimmy Vesey and the NY Rangers.
Ullmark is 7-7-1 with a .913 save percentage and 2.60 GAA with the Amerks this season.
Ullmark appeared in 20 games for the Sabres as a rookie last season.
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