Pommer Impressed By Buffalo's Newest Additions https://t.co/Tjceu5Xj95 pic.twitter.com/MheQoufiLU
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) March 6, 2016
Thanks, Wild TV
There was a time not that long ago that Jason Pominville had gone 21 games without scoring a goal. He and I talked about it on Saturday.
"It was the worst. I've never been in a slump like that in my career", Pommer told me while recounting his lumber slumber.
Pommer has been finding the back of the net with regularity the past couple of months. He said he feels like his old self again. He has rebounded to score 11 goal and 22 assists in 45 games since the 21 game drought.
In the shootout against his former team, "old" Pommer closed the show.
Pominville's 25th career shootout goals sealed the deal for the Wild who stole two much needed points in the Western standings, The Wild now have 72 points.
Charlie Coyle scored in the second round of the shootout in Buffalo. The former captain of the Buffalo Sabres was intently taking notes when Coyle scored his shootout goal.
“Actually, it helped him I was looking more to see what “Chucky… (Charlie Coyle) was doing. I like to see what righties do. He was the righty that went and he was able to change his angle and I was able to see what their goalie (Lehner). I just tried to shoot and found a way to score".
Per usual, the under stated Pominville hit the walk off home run that sent his former club to a dramatic defeat.
Sitting in the media room at First Niagara Center during Saturday's shootout, my mind immediately rewound to October 14, 2013 when in his first game in Buffalo following the February 2013 trade to Minnesota, Pominville scored his second goal of the season, a power-play goal, at 19:50 of the second period to give the Wild a 2-1 win.
Vintage Pommer. Part Deux.
Pominville said that he was expecting to be booed after he scored the shootout winner against his former team.
Pominville told me after the game that he was thrilled to be back in Buffalo.
“I was at the HARBORCenter on Friday. That place is beautiful. We stayed at the new hotel and I loved it. I always loved downtown Buffalo. I got to see the canals and the ice rinks and everything new. It's really great to see new things in downtown Buffalo. It's really beautiful".
Pommer also took notice of two of Buffalo's newest treasures in Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart.
I first met Pominville when he was bright eyed 20 year old sniping rock star in Buffalo. Today, he is 33 years old and grinding it out looking for a Stanley Cup championship.
Pominville 578 regular season games in Buffalo. He scored 185 goals and added 217 assists for 456 regular season points. He added 12 goals and 10 assists in 47 career playoff games in Buffalo.
He scored no bigger goal than this beauty.
OT GWG. Shorty.
"You know, people still ask me about that goal. I tell them that is where I got my confidence from".
I took Pommer for a trip down memory lane when I told him that Reinhart's assist on Eichel's power play goal in Saturday's loss was a landmark event. I like to bust chops with Pommer. He's always been a fun guy to talk to. He likes to mix it up.
So, Pommer. Did you know that Eichel now has 19 goals and 25 assists while Reinhart now has 18 goals and 12 assists? Did you know that the Eichel-Reinhart dynamic duo are the first Buffalo Sabres duo to score 30 or more points for the first time since 2005-06 when two young bloods by the names of Pominville and Vanek accomplished the same feat? True story, bud.
“There's only a couple guys left that I played with that are still here. They (Eichel and Reinhart) really have some good moves. They are a really good young team moving forward with some good young players. Obvioulsy, those two are going to be a big part of their franchise moving on….
“That wasn't something that I wasn't really aware of the “30 club… but... (laughing) I still feel young…
It seems like yesterday that Pommer was the 19 year old leader who used to run the show in Buffalo. Now he's in his thirties and he's the father of a six year old and a four year old. Pommer is even helping to coach his son's mite hockey team back home in Minny.
“It will also be special coming back here. I said it earlier. I came here as a kid and I left here as a Dad. This will always be a special place for me….
After the mics were turned off, I told Pommer that I thought that his shootout winner should have increased the population of Pominville by one .
"It should ", he said.
You can take the Pommer out of Buffalo but you can't take the Buffalo out of Pommer.
**
**
When Jack Eichel scored his 19th goal of the season against Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk, it marked a major milestone in Buffalo Sabres history.
Eichel's power play goal was assisted on by Samson Reinhart.
Reinhart's buttery smooth cross-crease sauce had Dale Hawerchuk's autougraph on it. Simply exquisite mitts on these two young stars.
Perfect pass from Sam to Jack for the go-ahead goal. #MINvsBUF pic.twitter.com/k0wRaeSmR5
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 5, 2016
Eichel assisted on Johan Larsson's second period PPG and now has 19 goals and 25 assists this season. Reinhart now has 18 goals and 12 assists this season.
Eichel and Reinhart are now the first Buffalo Sabres rookies to record 30 points or more since Thomas Vanek (48 points) and Jason Pominville (30 points) accomplished the feat in 2005-06.
Fittingly, Vanek and Pominville were on the ice here today.
All things old are new again, eh?
**
The Anaheim Ducks, who were 29th in the NHL on December 29, are now the hottest team in the NHL.
The Ducks are now 25-4-2 since the Christmas break.
Smoking hot hockey!
They defeated the LA Kings on Saturday and are now 37-19-8 (82 points). The Ducks hold a two point lead on Los Angeles (38-22-4) in the Pacific Division race.
The Ducks have now won a franchise best 11 games in a row.
The Ducks have now beaten the Kings twice in the past six days.
"It feels good, especially winning against this team," Rickard Rakell told the Ducks website on Saturday. Rackell had an assisted on the eventual game-winning goal and had his first career fight in the first period. "It was a battle the entire game. It feels really good."
Ryan Kesler, David Perron and Jakob Silfverberg scored for the Ducks.
Frederik Andersen got the win.