Jack Eichel didn’t hold back in his return to Buffalo on Thursday night. The Golden Knights center played his first game against the Sabres since being traded to Vegas on Nov. 4, coming out on the losing end of a 3-1 decision.
Eichel, 25, was Buffalo’s second overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft, and he captained the squad from 2018 to ’21. But the relationship soured last season, leading to the trade.
Eichel was in Vegas’ starting lineup for Thursday’s tilt and received a healthy number of boos from the crowd each time he touched the puck. The Sabres showed a tribute video for him during the first TV timeout as well, which drew more boos — and applause — from the season-high crowd of 12,437.
It was Eichel, though, who got the last word.
“It’s the loudest I’ve heard this place ever. Really,” Eichel said after the game. “It only took seven years and me leaving for them to…
