SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s just 15 games into his rookie season and Jack Eichel is on the first hot streak of his NHL career.
The No. 2 overall draft pick was clearly the best player on the ice and was an easy choice as first star Tuesday night as the Buffalo Sabres dismantled the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-1.
Eichel scored the game’s first goal, blistering a one-timer past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy on a Buffalo power play, and set up the second with a neat feed to defenseman Cody Franson.
It was a bit of a coming-out party for Eichel, making his first NHL appearance on national television after the circus atmosphere that surrounded his selection in the draft in June.