James P. McCoy/Buffalo News
With four minutes to go in the second period Saturday night, Jack Eichel switched things up. The center sent a faceoff in the San Jose zone up instead of back, and the result was two scoring chances for Jamie McGinn at the top of the crease.
It was a welcomed sign of aggression. The Sabres had been passive to that point, taking just 11 shots and looking more like last year’s team than the one that had entered First Niagara Center with wins in five of six games. Buffalo finally started hitting, shooting and skating to arouse the crowd and put the Sharks on the defensive.