Jeffrey T. Barnes / AP
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Published Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 | 6:48 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 | 8:45 p.m.
Jack Eichel turned to the crowd, arms wide with a smile on his face, as if he channeled his inner Russel Crowe to ask, “are you not entertained?”
If the Buffalo Sabres fans weren’t entertained then, Eichel was just getting started.
Eichel scored the third hat trick of his career, all goals coming in the third period, in his second return game to Buffalo to power the Golden Knights to a 7-4 win against the Sabres for their ninth straight victory.
Eichel also had an assist in the third period to extend his point streak to seven games. His 19 points are the most he’s racked up through 15 games in his NHL career.
And what a time to hit that mark.
The Golden Knights wrapped up their five-game road trip at 5-0-0 and won their sixth straight away from home, both team records.
Those marks don’t happen without Eichel, who has 12 points during his seven-game point streak (six goals, six assists).
The second time Eichel returned to Buffalo as a member of enemy territory wasn’t met with same vigor and animosity as it was March 10. Eichel, once figured as Buffalo’s prodigal son, was traded to Vegas on Nov. 4, 2021 because of the long-standing discord between Eichel and the Sabres over his preferred neck surgery.
"It was tough coming in here last year," Eichel told the ESPN broadcast after the game. "Just wanted to come in here with a different mindset. Feed off the energy of the crowd."
Eichel touched the ice at KeyBank Center on March 10, a month after making his Vegas debut following artificial disk replacement surgery, and was met with a chorus of boos every time he touched the ice. That night was a 3-1 loss for Vegas capped off by Alex Tuch forcing a turnover on Eichel at the blue line and scoring an empty-net goal that ended it.
After the game, a frustrated Eichel said it took the Sabres trading him for the fans to get that animated.
Eichel said Thursday morning that it was just the emotions of being a human being and letting frustration boil over.
Whether that carried over to the evening, Eichel seemed determined to have his moment.
Nothing changed from the March meeting: Every time Eichel touched the ice or the puck, he was booed. The disdain remained, but it would not deter an engaged Eichel.
Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy has called Eichel in recent days one of the team’s better defensive forwards. It showed in the first two periods when he forced two turnovers at the blue line and got two breakaway opportunities.
Both times he went low glove side, but Sabres goalie Eric Comrie stopped both of them to the chorus of loud applause. Those were followed by chants of “Jack, you suck!” that rang through on more than one occasion.
"I had an emotional connection — I still do — with the city and these people. Maybe I was hurt a little bit after the game last year," Eichel said. "I came in knowing what I was going to get this year, that kind of reception. I just tried to use the energy, and I think our whole group did."
Despite those saved breakaways — on a night where Chandler Stephenson had four points; where Alex Pietrangelo reached 400 assists in his career; and when Paul Cotter scored in his first game in three weeks — the night belonged to Eichel.
Less than three minutes after setting up Pietrangelo for his first goal of the season, Pietrangelo inadvertently returned the favor. His shot from the point was saved by Comrie, but Eichel was alone in front of an open net for his first goal and a 5-2 lead.
Shortly after Sabres forward Tage Thompson scored his second of the game to cut the lead back to two goals, Eichel responded with his second while dashing through the middle of the ice, received a pass from Stephenson and snapped the puck through Comrie’s five-hole to restore the three-goal lead.
Finally, from 190 feet away, Eichel launched the puck into the open net for the hat trick. All three in his career have come inside KeyBank Center.
"It was a back-and-forth game. Give them a lot of credit: They have a lot of great players, and they put us on our heels," Eichel said on the postgame broadcast. "We've been away for 11 days, and it's nice to cap it off with a nice win."
The Golden Knights will gladly take a perfect road trip knowing the bulk of it wasn’t their best hockey. While they scored 25 goals while away from home, the Golden Knights allowed 17 with 15 coming in the final four games. Breakdowns defensively have been noticeable and have put Logan Thompson and Adin Hill in tough spots.
Performances like Thursday from Eichel can easily offset those deficiencies. Maybe not every night, but enough to win games like this.
There have been nights where Eichel has played well, and it’s been another sign that he’s turning into the superstar the Golden Knights have needed.
There’s plenty of time to figure that out, but for one night, the people of Buffalo were reminded of what once was in an emphatic way that only a superstar could provide.
"I'm going to back this guy no matter what," said captain Mark Stone. "He's one of my more impressive teammates I've ever played with. He's probably one of, if not, the best player I've ever played with."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
