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Jack Eichel hasn't been home since he moved to Buffalo in August.
Eichel is now heading home to spend teh Christmas holiday with his mother, father, and sister at their home in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.
Before pressing the button on the air horn that symbolizes the NHL recess, Dan Bylsma assembled his team on Sunday morning for impromptu mini 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 scrimmages. It was the final "practice" prior to the much needed five-day holiday siesta.
While games are still being played around the NHL, the Buffalo schedule worked out in such a way that the Sabres now have three non-game days in advance of the mandatory three-day holiday break every team receives from December 23 through 25.
On Saturday, the Sabres concluded a 10 games in 19 days grueling stretch of games to begin the month of December. Also, the Sabres played six games and had two travel days in a 10-day span that concluded against Chicago on Saturday.
Dan Bylsma said after practice that his team has earned a long layoff.
"It's an extremely long period of time," he said. "The good news is, everybody's going to have three days off going into the 26th and won't feel their best on that day. It's not going to be any different for us because we have three more days. It's going to be quite similar for us"
The Sabres will not play again until Boxing Day on 12/26, when they renew acquaintances with their hated rivals the Boston Bruins for the first time this season.
The game in Boston will also be Jack Eichel's first ever NHL game played inside the arena that he attended as a kid to watch Bruins games live in person with his family. December 26 also marks the first time the Sabres and Bruins will square off this season.
I'm hoping that Eichel was inspired by Patrick Kane's return to his hometown when the Sabres lost 3-2 in the shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon.
For 58.5 minutes the Sabres held "Showtime" in check, then two flashes of hockey brilliance, Kane tied the game to force OT. Kane then went on to score a gorgeous shootout goal to give the Hawks the 3-2 win.
How great will it be when the North Clemsford, Mass. kid goes home and puts on a virtuoso performance in a Buffalo win in front of his friends and family in Bahstun?
Eichel, the Boston University product, ha splayed games in The Gahden before, however, none of his career games, be they college or travel hockey, can compare to the magnitude of his first ever game in his hometown against his boyhood favorite hockey team.
Eichel, 19, is second on the Sabres in goals scored with 9. He also has 7 assists in 34 games played. Eichel is averaging 20 minutes of TOI in his 34 starts this season.
Jack won't come right out and say that he is tired and somewhat beat up. He doesn't have to. Every player in the NHL is in need of mental and physical decompression right now. Eichel has been running at 100 mph ever since the NHL Draft in Sunrise, Florida last June.
Jack is now heading home to sleep in his own bed in his mother's house. It will feel weird for the kid since he's used to living in Buffalo with Matt Moulson, his wife and two kids.
The Sabres will meet Eichel in Boston on Christmas Day.
Thanks, Sabres TV
Sabres fans would love nothing more than to see Eichel score the game winning goal in the building that the grew up watching his once beloved Bruins.
***
What a difference a year or two makes.
The Buffalo Sabres are no longer the punch line to every cliched NHL joke. No longer are they scoffed at nor criticized for taking their way to accomplish Mission: Jack Eichel.
In short order, the 2015-16 Buffalo Sabres have re-branded themselves as a hard working, skilled, competitive hockey team.
The Sabres are once again relevant in the hearts and minds of some of the best players, coaches, and front office people inside the NHL.
I'm often asked: "Have they played this well all season long"?
I say yes. Yes, they have played this well all season long. The reason is that they have excelled in all three phases. Their offense has been there on most nights. Their overall commitment to team-first defense is being adhered to on a nightly basis and their goaltending has been very good, and at times excellent in the face of adversity this season.
They head into their Christmas break with a renewed sense of purpose. They find themselves only six points (3 wins) out of the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
In their first 34 games of the season, the Buffalo Sabres (14-16-4) have put a scare into many of the top teams in the NHL. One of the youngest teams in the NHL, Buffalo has left a lasting impression with their dogged determination and work ethic.
The dozens of NHL players, scouts, GMs, AGMs, out of town media types, all have praised Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma for getting the most out of his team this season. Though they may not win every game, they rarely get smoked nor blown out by opponents. They are in every game that they have played this season, save one or two clunkers, and are willing to go to the wall for one another.
I also speak with the Buffalo players and coaches on a regular basis. The players know that they are good. They know that they have to continue to work hard to earn the respect of the best opponents in the NHL. They continue to commit themselves to the cause of beating the best teams with hard work, skill, grit, hustle and muscle.
So far, so good.
The Sabres have in no way had a cake walk of a schedule in the first 34 games of the season. In fact, I dare say that the NHL schedule make totally stuck it to the Sabres by jamming them with a heavy duty dollop of Western Conference teams including Chicago, LA, Dallas, Nashville, Anaheim, St. Louis, San Jose,and Vancouver.
* Did you know that 15 of Buffalo's first 34 games have been played against the Western Conference?
* Did you know that the Buffalo Sabres have played 15 games against the best of the West and have absconded with 13 of a possible 30 points in those games?
* Did you know that 5 of Buffalo's 14 wins have come against Western Conference teams?
* Did you know that the Sabres head into their one week holiday break with a 9-9-1 record against the Eastern Conference.
* Did you know that the Sabres are 5-7-3 against Western Conference powerhouses like LA, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Anaheim, and Vancouver?
* Did you know that the Sabres are 4-3-1 against the Pacific Division and 1-4-2 against the Central Division, the undisputed best division in hockey today?
A year or two ago, the Sabres were the door mat that most teams in the NHL would wipe their wet skates on.
Buffalo were 7-19-2 against the NHL West in 2014-15 after finishing 7-20-1 against the West in 2013-14.
So, why the sudden success against the Western Conference for the Sabres?
That's easy. Tim Murray has infused his lineup with some good old fashioned Western Conference hockey values. Murray has given Bylsma a veteran leadership core who have high character, exquisite skill sets, stubborn determination, and impressive mental toughness
Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn were traded to Buffalo from Colorado.
Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian were traded to Buffalo from Winnipeg.
Cody Franson was signed as a UFA from Nashville.
David Legwand has played the majority of his career in Nashville.
Carlo Colaiocovo played for years in St, Louis.
These aforementioned players all cut their teeth in the wild, wild West. They know the mental preparation, focus, pain and sacrifice that is required to succeed against all odds against the teams with the most firepower and ferocity in the NHL
You know what?
Tim Murray is assembling a Western Conference team that happens to live and play in the Eastern time zone.
Murray's plan is coming to fruition and is paying dividends sooner than expected.
The Sabres are no longer viewed as a slam dunk, easy two point opponent. They are now viewed as a hard-nosed group that if taken for granted or looked down the nose at, they will rise up and knock your lights out.
Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said on Thursday night that he was very impressed by Buffalo's structure and skill level after the Sabres had taken apart his listless Ducks team in a 3-0 loss.
Ducks D-man Cam Fowler told me Thursday that he has a ton of respect for Ryan O'Reilly, Jamie McGinn and the Sabres because of their relentless fore check pressure that they apply to opposing defenders. Fowler said that ROR makes D-men have to make quicker decisions with the puck in their own zone because he eats up the available time and space with his speed and active stick.
Last month,when he returned to Buffalo, Lindy Ruff said that he was very impressed by the way the Sabres smothered his Stars in all three zones.
Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues was very complimentary of Buffalo's patience, persistence and structure.
I was reminded of it again on Saturday when Patrick Kane addressed the horde piled up in his locker stall in the Blackhawks room at First Niagara Center.
"They are a team that is definitely on the rise. And sometimes you like at these teams, like Edmonton and Buffalo, and sometimes they can catch you off guard because maybe you don't have the respect for them that you should. You look up and down their lineup and they have a pretty good lineup. They have some pretty good players that can play tough against you, that can create offense and do a lot of different things. I'm happy for that team. But we've been a team here for a while that finds ways to win whether we play a great game or not. I think its the camaraderie and the corps group of guys that we have in this room"
Kane is bang on.
The Dan Bylsma led Buffalo Sabres can and do catch great teams off guard.
There are no free lunches when you play a Dan Bylsma team that is playing the right way on both sides of the puck.
Bylsma's team makes you fight for and earn ever square inch ice. He makes your defense pay with an ultra-aggressive fore check. His forwards and D make you think twice about stick handling through the neutral zone.
Ron Rolston and Ted Nolan Buffalo used to be an easy opponent to play because you could slap them around for 20 or 30 minutes then they would run to the bus. They couldn't defend to save their lives, nor could they put the puck in the net. Those Sabres teams were a joke.
Not anymore.
The Sabres are off on a well deserved seven day hiatus for the Christmas holiday. They will practice a couple of times but they won't play a game until Boxing Day in Boston.
When they resume play, they will be a well rested team. Physically and mentally, it will be a godsend for superstar kids Jack Eichel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Samson Reinhart, and Jake McCabe to lay on their leather couches and simply eye-guzzle Netflix and play their buds in NHL 2015 on XBOX. These kids have played a ton of hockey and should be commended for soldiering through to rough spots and not cracking under the intense scrutiny and pressure.
In my opinion, I think Ryan O'Reilly should hop on a plane and fly south to a tropical locale to lay on the beach for a week. The dude is a freakin' warrior and he deserves a break. He leads all NHL forwards in total ice time with north of 21 minutes per game. Having said that, I know that ROR would scoff at the idea of him chillin' on a beach. Knowing him, he's probably on the ice right now with 500 pucks trying to correct the mistake that he made on his shorthanded empty net attempt on Saturday afternoon against Chicago. Hockey is a game of inches and O'Reilly is the ultimate warrior and perfectionist. He hates to lose. Hates it with a f**king passion. He deplores and despises losing and all of the negative vibes associated with it. O'Reilly needs this one week break to refresh his mind and body, as does Evander Kane, who could use some time with family and friends to recharge his batteries.
Matt Moulson needs this break to get focused on becoming a top six player on this team again. He hasn't scored in 20+ games and was relegated to the fourth line on Saturday. The Sabres need Moulson to return to his 30-goal scoring prowess. It's not negotiable. It's long overdue that Moulson light the lamp. His team is has scored 78 goals this season while allowing 86 goals against. Moulson is paid to fill the net and he is not doing so right now. His teammates need him to bust his slump and now.
Ditto Zemgus Girgensons, Brian Gionta, and Johan Larsson.
The Sabres are three wins out of a playoff spot. That's it. Three stinkin wins away from the 8th place Florida Panthers.
When the season resumes Robin Lehner will be one week closer to making his return. I saw Mark Pysyk yesterday hobbling in a walking boot. Hopefully, he will be ready to resume game action Marcus Foligno will be back on 12/26 as well.
Frankly, I could nit be happier with the overall effort and the togetherness that the Sabres have demostrated in their first 34 games this season. It has been like night and day in terms of their professionalism and determination from last season to this season.
I'd go down a dark alley to a street fight with this Sabres team any day of the week because I know full well that they will fight for one another. They may not win every fight, however, they are going to leave a bruise or three on their opponents. When opponents try to punk one of them one of them, they mess with all of them.
The members of this Sabres team really like and respect one another. Honestly, I have not seen and felt a more harmonious Sabres locker room than I have this one. The 2005-06 Sabres locker room was similar to this one. There is something special about this team. The fight. The sacrifices. The big-brother-little-brother dynamic. These Sabres players really enjoy working hard for the guy sitting across from himself in the room.
The Eastern Conference is a bit of a joke right now. "Contenders" Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Philly, Ottawa, New Jersey, Boston and NY Rangers don't scare me. Nor should they scare the Sabres. In the final 49 games of the season, the Sabres will be facing the best of the Eastern Conference with great frequency and regularity. It will be imperative for O'Reilly to urge his Sabres to play the Eastern foes with the same intensity, pugnacity and persistence that they have compete with against the Western Conference. Keep the gas pedal to the floor and skate like your hair is on fire, boys, Finish all checks, get pucks deep behind their D and make their goalies miserable.
That, my friends, is the new normal in Pegulaville.
The Buffalo Sabres are a playoff team. You better get used to it.
For these reasons, I know that the Buffalo Sabres will be a playoff team when this season ends.