Jumpin' Jack Flash (sabres eichel)

sabres eichel

Jumpin' Jack Flash

By GARTH'S CORNER

Mar 31, 2018 • 1:03 pm

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High ankle sprains be damned.

Jack Eichel's first three seasons have been statistically equivalent. It's uncanny how Eichel's three season cumulative point production is bang on.

Jack Eichel's next goal or assist will give him a new NHL career personal best for points.

Since making his return to the lineup from a serious high ankle sprain against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 17, Eichel has been shot out of a cannon.

Watching him skate in games the past two weeks, you would never know the 2018 NHL All Star recently missed 15 games due to the right ankle injury he suffered when he was taken out by Boston Bruins D-man Matt Grzelczyk on February 10.

Despite the injury setback, Eichel is on pace to crush his personal bests in goals (24), assists (33) and points (57) on the strength of improved production at even strength.

Eichel has 3 goals and 1 assist in the seven games he's played since returning from injury on St. Patricks Day.

Eichel has three goals in his past two games.

What is he doing differently post-injury?

He's skating like his hair is on fire.

Eichel continues to use his speed and power top drive the right and left wing walls then he is dropping the shoulder and driving to the home plate area where he is being rewarded.

Eichel has been walking some of the best defensemen in the offensive with regularity. Yeah, I'm talking to you Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and PK Subban.

With his 17th multi-point game in his 61st game of the season, Eichel surpassed his career-best total of 16 set in 2016-17.

With his 17th even-strength goal in his 44th game of the season on Jan. 11 vs. Columbus, Eichel surpassed his career-best total from 2015-16 (81 games). Through 62 games, Eichel now has 22 even-strength goals.

With his 36th even-strength point in his 53rd game of the season on Feb. 7 vs. Anaheim, Eichel surpassed his career-best total from 2015-16 (81 games). Through 62 games, he now has 41 even-strength points.

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Sabres super center Ryan O'Reilly is having himself an excellent production season. On both side of the puck.

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Phil Housley and Jason Botterill were very pleased with the play of their center men on Thursday night. By slotting rock star rookie center Casey Mittelstadt at second line center in his NHL debut, the Sabres gave the Red Wings are different look. Buffalo stacked it's center position and didn't have the Red Wings a shift off. Housley's centers started with the puck on their sticks 56% of the time.

Botterill won three Stanley Cups in his ten seasons in Pittsburgh Penguins front office.

In 2009, Botterill had a center cluster of Crosby-Malkin-JStaal-Kennedy.

In 2016 and 2017, it was Crosby-Malkin-Bonino-Cullen.

No wonder they had so much success.

Botterill is looking to emulate the Penguins center motif in Buffalo with Eichel-O'Reilly-Mittelstadt-Rodrigues/Larsson as the center cluster.

Thursday night gave us a glimpse of the future when Mittlestadt went 5 for 8 on the dot and collected his first NHL point in his first NHL game. Rodrigues doesn't score unless Mittelstadt wins the o-zone draw. Housley loves having Mittelstadt take the left draws, which he does here to perfection.

The clean draw win allowed Rodrigues to quick catch-quick release the puck past Jimmy Howard.

Mittelstadt's faceoff prowess will give Housley's third line the puck more of the time to make plays and create chances rather than having three forwards chasing the puck for their entire 50 second shift.

Slotting is fun.

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What up, Dom?

Thanks, Sabres

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