Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres have a score to settle with the Boston Bruins.
The Sabres gift wrapped a 3-2 shootout win for the Bruins in Buffalo on Thursday night in a game that saw the Sabres hold a 2-0 lead then throw it away.
In the third period, Brad Marchand tied the game at 2-2 on a rising back hander that Chad Johnson misplayed. Nice shot. Terrible save execution by the Buffalo backup tender. The Sabres needed that save. Johnson's miscue cost them a point. If Johnson makes that save, the Sabres win both points in regulation and they turn their sights to Saturday night's rematch in Bahstun.
Friggin Marchand
Johnson is a nice backup goalie, however, he always allows a soft goal in every game that he starts. It's uncanny how he loses his focus and technique at the worst possible times in games. Like Thursday night.
Robin Lehner will be tending the bars in Boston. The Big Swede has been large and in charge since returning to the Buffalo lineup.
In his five games played since returning from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for 39 games, Robin Lehner has logged a 2-3-0 record with a .939 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA.
◾Lehner has faced Boston more times than any other NHL team. In 12 career games against the Bruins, Lehner has logged a 3-6-2 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA.
Thursday's loss to the Bruins leaves the Sabres smarting considering the fact that they carried the play and really handed a physical pounding to the Bruins.
What the Sabres need now is a duplicate effort to Jack Eichel's Boxing Day beat down of the Bruins in Beantown.
Eichel, the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and a Chelmsford, Mass. boy, potted two beauties and collected two assists in Buffalo's a 6-3 comeback victory over Boston.
Ryan O'Reilly also scored two goals and chipped in an assist.
The Sabres will need their uber rookie and their number one center to ignite the fire in Boston by bringing their offensive prowess to the forefront.
On 12/26, Eichel set a single-game career high for points. He tied the score 3-3 with his first goal and added an empty-net goal with 1:18 to go during a five-goal third period by Buffalo.
"I was a little bit nervous jumping on the ice for warmups," said Eichel, who won the Hobey Baker Award and played at Boston University last season while winning the Beanpot tourney and the Hockey East title on the Bruins' rink.
"But just an exciting game throughout. We made some mistakes. But at the end of the day, it's a huge win and it's a super-nice way to start this next segment of us. Just exciting to get a win and do it in the fashion that we did in front of so many friends and family."
The Sabres scored three goals during a 4:03 span of the third period after they fell behind 3-1. Ryan O'Reilly started the comeback with the first of his two goals at 10:21 of the third.
Jamie McGinn put Buffalo ahead 4-3 at 14:24 when he backhanded a rebound of an O'Reilly shot into the net. After Eichel's empty-net goal, O'Reilly scored his second goal with 50 seconds remaining.
Eichel enters tonight’s game with 21 points (7G, 14A) in his last 20 games, a stretch which included a career-best, four-game point streak (2G, 4A) from December 30 to January 5.
With 35 points (16G, 19A) in 52 games, Eichel is on pace for 55 points this season. If he reaches the 50-point mark, he will become the ninth Sabres rookie to record more than 50 points in a season. He would be the first since Derek Plante (1993-94) and the second-youngest to do so, trailing only Phil Housley (1982-83).
The Sabres and Bruins are meeting for the second time in three days after Boston’s 3-2 shootout win in Buffalo on Thursday. For Eichel and his Sabres, this is the seventh of eight sets of games this season in which they’ll face the same opponent both home and away in a three-game span; two of these are home-and-home series. The final such set will take place on March 10 and 16 against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres enter tonight’s game with points in a franchise-record seven straight road games against divisional opponents, having gone 6-0-1 in those games. They enter tonight with wins in four straight divisional road games for the first time since January 20 to March 10, 2011; a win tonight would stretch that streak to five games for the first time since the team won six consecutive divisional road games from February 5 to April 1, 2008.
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Eichel (16G, 19A) and Samon Reinhart (13G, 9A) would be the first pair of Sabres rookies to surpass the 30-point mark since Thomas Vanek (48) and Jason Pominville (30) did so in 2005-06.
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Marcus Foligno suffered a lower body deal and did not practice in Buffalo on Friday. Marcus will sit out the game in Boston. Dan Catenacci has been called up from the Rochester Amerks to replace Foligno in the lineup. If he plays, it will be Catenacci's NHL debut. Catenacci has 16 points in 36 games with the Amerks this season. In 182 career games for the Amerks, Catenacci has 68 points (33+35) and 123 penalty minutes.
Foligno is listed as day to day.
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Tyler Ennis will miss his 15th straight game tonight.
He skated briefly on his own on Friday.
Ennis has been dealing with post concussion symptoms.
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With 32 points (8G, 24A) in 52 games, Rasmus Ristolainen is on pace for 50 points this season. If he reaches the 50-point mark, Ristolainen would be the first Sabres defenseman with 50 points in a season since Garry Galley (1995-96) and the youngest to reach that mark since Phil Housley.
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Thanks, Sabres TV
Dan Bylsma was hoping that Ryan O'Reilly was going to take the the day off on Friday.
His All Star center is grinding his way through a prolonged scoring drought.
O'Reilly has been cheesed off with himself lately. He's been gripping the stick so tightly that composite stick shavings are strewn about the ice beneath him.
The Sabres lost to the Bruins in the shootout on Thursday night. O'Reilly ignored his head coach and took the optional skate anyway.
Lumber slumber.
How else do you explain why Ryan O'Reilly hasn't scored a goal since January 8? That's when he netted his 17th goal of the season against Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks.
O'Reilly earned the right to be recognized as Buffalo's lone representative at last weekend's NHL All Star Game. Unlike his teammates, ROR was not given the opportunity to clear his head and rest his body while on a beach in the tropics.
On Friday, Bylsma held an optional before the team charter departed to Boston. Afterwards, The Factor ripped himself to shreds.
“I’ve been very frustrated with myself the last few games,” O’Reilly said.
“The last handful of them, I don’t think I’ve been anywhere near where I want to be. I’ve been terrible in my own end. I haven’t been creating as much offense. I don’t know if it was just maybe luck early on in the season, but I think I have a lot to learn going forward.
“I’ve had the game on my stick in a lot of different areas and not stepped up and made the big plays, which is the kind of pressure and stuff I want to do. I have a lot of work to do in getting back to where I need to be and help the team win".
O'Reilly thought be now that he would be closing in on career high of 28 goals. For the past month, he has been stuck on 17 goals.
“Maybe it’s just back to reality and maybe I’m not the goal scorer I thought I was,” O’Reilly said.
“I have to find a new way because these are key points that we need, and I have to help.”
O’Reilly said that he doesn't feel fatigued. So, there goes that excuse.
He's continues to lead all NHL forward by skating 21:54 TOI per game. He'd likely skate 30 minutes a night if Bylsma kept calling his number.
“I feel great going into every game,” ROR said Friday.
“It’s not fatigue at all. It’s something I’m trying to figure out. I don’t know why I’m not having success.”
O’Reilly hasn't been scoring 5 on 5, on the PP, nor in the shootout. He missed a glorious opportunity to beat Tuukka Rask and close the show on Thursday night. For the fifth time in five shootout attempts, he failed to score.
O'Reilly's self evaluations are harsh and heavy. He doesn't give himself a break. That's why Bylsma was eager to give his future captain the day off. O'Reilly had to pay his penance to atone for his goal scoring sins.
O'Reilly feels like he has let his team down by failing to win shootouts with his five shot opportunities.
“I’m definitely frustrated there,” O’Reilly said Friday.
“It’s embarrassing that I haven’t put one in yet. I’ve had the game on my stick very many times and not pulled through.
“It’s frustrating, and I have to be better.”
“Every year is different, and you have to find a new way to put it in,” he said. “The stuff that’s worked from the past isn’t working now. I love that pressure, but I’m not having success with it. It’s definitely a big reason why we don’t get those extra points.”
Saturday night in Boston O'Reilly will hopefully turn the tide on his month long scoring drought.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that O'Reilly has 42 points 52 games.
I love that ROR has such a red ass over his recent 11 game scoreless binge. He is saying that he is not above reproach nor is he immune from the criticism despite the All Star designation that was recently bestowed upon him. Look around the NHL at team leaders like Jonathon Toews, Anze Kopitar, Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby. When their teams are losing and they are not contributing offensive, defensively, or in special teams they hold themselves accountable first and foremost. That's the sign of a champion. ROR expects more of himself and of his teammates. That's why he is pointing his index finger in his own grill in the mirror every day that this scoring slide continues.
ROR is leading from the front. He never hides from the bright light. He is accountable.
He is holding himself accountable for his actions. He is motivating himself while motivating the troops. Maybe Matt Moulson should take heed to what ROR is preaching.
I see O'Reilly potting two goals in a Buffalo win in Boston.
This too shall pass, Ryan. Settle down. It's not the end of the world.
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The Calgary Flames have been scouting the Buffalo Sabres hard for the past two months. The Flames sent their scout to Buffalo again on Thursday night, On Wednesday night, the Sabres sent two scouts to Calgary to watch the Flames v. Carolina Canes game.
Tim Murray may have found his veteran left shot D in Calgary's Kris Russel. The 28 year old former Medicine Hat Tiger will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. It is appearing more likely by the day that Flames GM Brad Treliving is looking to trade his rental players in Russell and 32 year old center/winger Jiri Hudler.
Russell leads the Flames with 160 blocked shots. He skates 22:49 TOI per game. He has landed 52 shots on enemy goalies.
Russell has 3 goals and 11 assists this season. He earns $2.6 million in the final year of his contract.
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