Eichel leads Sabres over Rangers
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jack Eichel scored twice in the third period to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
It was Eichel's first home game of the season. The sophomore standout returned to game action Tuesday after missing the first 21 games of the year with a high ankle sprain. Johan Larsson and Brian Gionta also scored for the Sabres (9-9-5). Anders Nilsson made 22 saves.
Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash and Marc Staal scored for the Rangers (16-8-1). Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves.
Down 3-2, Eichel evened the score with 7:15 remaining on a power-play strike. After receiving a feed from Kyle Okposo, the center's quick shot had just enough to get into the net after Lundqvist got a piece of it.
The game-winner came with 5:32 remaining. As Eichel attempted a centering pass to left winger Evander Kane -- who had an open net, with Lundqvist out of position -- the puck deflected off Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello's left skate and into the net.
The Sabres opened the scoring just 18 seconds into the game on a fluke goal by Larsson. Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe's long pass from center ice deflected off Larsson and into the net for Larsson's fourth goal of the year.
McDonagh evened the score with a power-play goal with 3:45 remaining in the first. With traffic in front of the net, McDonagh's long shot from the point made it through for his first goal of the year.
Nash gave the Rangers their second power-play goal of the night 8:15 into the second to give New York a 2-1 lead. After a rebound lingered around the crease, Nash poked it home for his 11th goal of the year.
The Sabres quickly answered 1:33 later. Gionta evened the score following a feed from behind the net by left winger Marcus Foligno at 9:48.
The Rangers took a 3-2 lead less than two minutes later on Staal's second goal of the year. Right winger Jesper Fast's backhand saucer pass found Staal alone in the slot, and the defenseman buried a quick one-timer at 11:42.
That was all before Eichel's heroics, however. The second-year pro has four points (three goals, one assist) in his first two games of the season.
NOTES: G Robin Lehner (hip), D Zach Bogosian (knee sprain) and D Dmitry Kulikov (lower back) were scratched for the Sabres. Lehner injured his hip in Tuesday's win over the Ottawa Senators and is considered day-to-day. With Lehner scratched, the Sabres recalled G Linus Ullmark from the AHL's Rochester Americans before the game. In 15 games this season, Ullmark has a record of 7-7-1 and a save percentage of .913. ... D Kevin Klein and C Josh Jooris were scratched for the Rangers. ... This was the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. Their next meeting is Jan. 3 in New York.