What does the Buffalo Sabres revenge win over Jack Eichel mean?

The Buffalo Sabres pulled off a massive upset last night against Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights

If someone said the Buffalo Sabres, a team outscored 9-1 over its past two games and looked like a junior hockey team next to Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers, said they would never even trail the Vegas Golden Knights, we’d have laughed in their faces. These Sabres?

These Sabres who have made a living getting manhandled at least a half-dozen times over the past 30 days? Not with star center Jack Eichel returning to town and a Golden Knights team playing for more in 2022 than the Sabres can dream of.

Then came Peyton Krebs‘ goal in the first period, his fourth of the year, with assists from Vinnie Hinostroza and Dylan Cozens. Krebs, who the Knights selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, never earned a fair chance to showcase his talents.

What the Buffalo Sabres revenge win over Jack Eichel, Knights means

Come the second period, the Sabres did what they do best, or worst. They let their opponents embark on a shooting frenzy. By the end of the second period, the score remained 1-0 despite the Knights outshooting the Sabres 15-3 thanks to a legendary performance from goaltender Craig Anderson, who also logged his 300th career win.

But the Sabres grit-and-grind approach didn’t last. Knights defenseman Ben Hutton tied the game at one and it looked like the Sabres were in line for yet another heartbreaker.

Then Victor Olofsson gave the Sabres a new hope at the 16:16 mark on a power play goal with Kyle Okposo and the returning Henri Jokiharju assisting. It was yet another strong showing for Olofsson, who has since experienced a renaissance that started last month when he logged a two-goal game against the New York Islanders.

The real revenge came with under a minute remaining in the contest when Alex Tuch, another Vegas cast-off in the Eichel trade, stole the puck from ex-Sabre, outskated the Knights down the rink, and sealed the deal with an empty-netter.

What does this mean for fans who have remained fiercely loyal to their Sabres? It means that, despite the growing pains, they’re watching a team evolve. Players like Tuch and Krebs who the Golden Knights shipped off because they felt Eichel would better serve them have found permanent roles in Buffalo.

In the end, the Sabres, at least head-to-head, have the last laugh. And the win also means this: It doesn’t matter how good their opponent is. They can challenge and hang with anyone in the NHL on any given night. Despite their poor record, relative inexperience, inconsistency, and the occasional blowout loss.

This may not be a good Sabres team. But this is a team that isn’t rolling over and calling it quits despite a 19-32-8 record. So keep watching. More upsets are on the way. Perhaps this coming Sunday in the Heritage Classic.