Though the Buffalo Sabres didn’t start off the week on a great foot, they ended it well, finally breaking their six-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
The Buffalo Sabres opened the week by hosting the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at First Niagara Center.
The Sabres were outworked and overpowered by the Panthers, who took a decisive 5-1 win over the Buffalo team.
Ryan O’Reilly had the lone goal for the Sabres, with Jack Eichel and Jamie McGinn notching assists.
Linus Ullmark had 22 saves in the loss.
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Following that, the Buffalo Sabres then set out on a three-game road trip, beginning with a visit to the surging Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Though the Buffalo Sabres tried to keep pace with the Blackhawks, they ultimately fell by a score of 3-1.
Once again, Ryan O’Reilly had the lone goal for the Sabres, with McGinn notching the lone assist.
This time it was Chad Johnson in net, stopped 42 of 44 shots faced. (The Hawks also notched an empty-netter.)
The Sabres continued their road trip with an afternoon tilt against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
Buffalo finally snapped their six-game winning streak, defeating the Jets 4-2 for the team’s first win in Winnipeg since February 10, 1993 – a span of 22 years and 11 months.
Most notably, Sam Reinhart had the first hat trick of his young NHL career, becoming the first Sabres rookie to register a hat trick since Jason Pominville did it ten years ago. He also became the fifth-youngest player in Sabres history to record a hat trick.
Marcus Foligno also scored for the Sabres, while Ullmark had 42 saves.
With that being said, who were the top performers of the week for the Buffalo Sabres?
3. Ryan O’Reilly
O’Reilly had two goals in three games this week for the Buffalo Sabres, including the team’s lone goals in each of the first two games of the week.
He’s been a solid player in his first season with the Sabres, continuing to lead the team in points, and also had seven shots on goal in the three games.
Though the Sabres lost two of three this week, think about it this way: without O’Reilly’s goals, that’d be two straight games where Buffalo gets shut out.
O’Reilly earns a well-deserved third star of the week in my eyes.
2. Jack Eichel
Eichel entered the week on a point streak, continuing that in the Panthers game. Though it broke in the Blackhawks game, he continued to have a strong week and went on to add an assist against the Jets.
Eichel has undoubtedly been having a good rookie season with the Buffalo Sabres, especially as of late.
He registered eight shots on goal in three games this week, ultimately finishing the week as a minus-4 – which doesn’t necessarily accurately reflect how well he’s been playing lately.
1. Sam Reinhart
Of course, while many talk about Jack Eichel, he isn’t the only rookie playing this season for the Buffalo Sabres.
Sam Reinhart sure made his name known this week, and he’s earned this first star in large part due to his first NHL hat trick on Sunday.
Come on, how can I not give him the first star?
Though perhaps the first two games of the week weren’t the best for Reinhart, he came out strong in the third game against the Jets.
Three goals, a plus-2 and five shots on goal definitely isn’t anything to raise your nose at.
This week, the Buffalo Sabres round out their road trip with a visit to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. They’ll then return home to host the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday nights.