Jack Eichel gives zero F's about moral victories. If you see Jack out and about in the Western New York community this weekend, say at Wegmans or at the Bogo Bunch charity event at the Town Ballroom. Eichel is liable to silence you with an eye roll or a dirty look.
Eichel was spitting mad about losing to Chicago. He said as much on Friday. His message to his teammates, and perhaps his head coach, was pointed and piercing:
Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back for failure to lock down a top NHL opponent in a one goal game. Don't demand a high five for blowing a great road effort by allowing Pat Kane to dunk on you in OT.
Eichel scored the go ahead goal early in the third period on Thursday night. Then, Eichel and his mates were told by their head coach to drop back, play center field and trap the high octane Blackhawks.
The cautious, conservative strategy allowed the Hawks to tie the game at 3's with 2"04 remaining in regulation play, forcing overtime. Before you knew it, Patrick Kane scored 56 seconds into overtime. Game over.
On Friday, Eichel was still chafed about giving away the point to the Hawks late in regulation. Eichel silenced the raucous crowd inside the Madhouse On Madison. Eichel was pissed off that he and his teammates let the Hawks off the hook.
“I think that’s the problem, you’re satisfied with three points, that’s not good enough,… Eichel boldly said. “You have a chance to get four points, you should’ve gotten four. For us to sit here and say, "Oh, we played two of the best teams in the league. We got three out of four." Well, no, that’s not good enough. We should’ve beat them. That’s all it comes down to.
“We kind of pissed away a point. They all add up at the end of the year.…
Bang on, Jack.
Moral victories suck.
This isn't a youth house soccer league where where everyone gets a participation award , no score is kept, and snacks are served at halftime.
No way, pal. This is the NHL. The most competitive hockey league in the world where only the strong survive.
Moral victories are not allowed in a man's league.
I love this saltier, un-politically correct version of Eichel. He's a 20-year old superstar who is holding himself and his older teammates accountable. He's talking like the guy who has a "C" stitched over his heart.
I think Eichel's comments are pointed directly to Bylsma.
The head coach played passive 1-2-1 and 1-3-1 trap defenses in the third period. The Hawks beat the trap with their speed and skill. They tied the game then finished off the Sabres in OT.
This isn't the first time that Eichel has been critical of his teammates in the past two weeks.
Last Sunday, Eichel stood in front of the media and called out his teammates for their lackluster performance in Saturday's 3-1 loss in Boston. Eichel challenged all of his teammates, and himself to look in the mirror and do an honest self assessment.
Eichel's speech fired up the boys to the tune of a convincing 4-1 win against Henrik Lundqvist in his own castle.
So what the hell happened in Chicago?
I think it's safe to say that Jack Eichel is angry about how the #Sabres game last night ended @WKBW pic.twitter.com/jx0zA3lgsH
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 6, 2017
It boggles the mind that Dan Bylsma left Eichel on the bench to start OT. Eichel didn't even get a sniff of the ice in OT. What's up with Bylsma leaving his best player on the pine? Eichel should have been on the ice to lead his teammates into the attack. Eichel scored the go ahead goal in the third period and skated a career high 23:30 TOI. Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane started overtime instead of Eichel.
What gives, Dan?
“I had a combination of players I wanted to have together,… Bylsma said Friday after practice.
I'm on Eichel's side in this debate. The Sabres are o-6 in shootouts this season. They are owners of a disgusting 3-9 record in OT/Shootouts.
The Sabres coukd be a wild card team today IF Bylsma could solve his team's shootout no shows.
Eichel is bang on. The points left on the table in October, November and December will kill playoff dreams in April.
***
The Colorado Avalanche are a certified gong show right now. The NHL basement dwellers are the central figures in trade rumors du jour.
Nathan MacKinnon is the face of the franchise and is the lone wolf who is not available for trades. All other vers are fair game. Including captain Gabriel Landeskog and 30-goal man Matt Duchene.
“It’s part of the game,… Matt Duchene told the Denver Post On Friday. “It’s part of the business. When you’re in the position we’re in, you expect things like that.…
"That’s the way it should be when you’re not winning.… He added, “(When) you’re a last place team, especially when you’re not supposed to be, and in our opinion, we’re not supposed to be last, things are going to change. Rumors are going to be flying around, but whether things change or not, we have to show up and play and make sure we’re responsible for the way our team finishes up this year.…
Does the Avalanche captain want to stay?
“Absolutely,… Landeskog said. “I mean, I would not want to go anywhere. This is my home, this is where I want to be and I love being here and I want to figure this thing out with the guys we have in here. Whether changes are made or not, I want to be here.…
What would an NHL need to trade in order to procure Duchene or Landeskog?
A top four D. Plus.
Look at the Taylor Hal of Adam Larsson trade as a comparable.