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November 4, 2018, 9:21 AM ET [7 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT



Following Saturday's 9-2 total domination of the Ottawa Senators, the Buffalo Sabres number one line of Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville and Jack Eichel ranks as the top three scorers in the NHL since the trio began playing with one another as a line on October 20 at Los Angeles.

In those seven games, Skinner has scored 8 goals and 5 assists, Pominville has scored 7 goals and 6 assists and Eichel has accounted for 1 goal and 11 assists.

As far as scoring lines go in today's NHL, the power trio of Skinner-Eichel-Pominville is
the cream of the crop. Seemingly, every time they hit the ice, a goal is scored.

Or so it seems.


After Saturday's curb stomping of the Senators, I spoke at length with Sabres sniper Jeff Skinner about the torrid scoring streak he is on right now. I asked Skinner if in his eight previous seasons of NHL service with the Carolina Hurricanes if he has ever been in such a point producing zone.


Skinner smiled.

Paused.

Then did what all great hockey players do. He took the emphasis and attention off himself and placed it on his line mates Eichel and Pominville.


"I think looking back, maybe a couple instances, you get hot for a couple weeks. Anytime something like that happens, its almost entirely because the line is playing well or the team is playing well, or a combination of both things. Eichs and Pommer are so skilled I just feed off them. Hopefully we can keep it going."




Skinner has an uncanny knack of having the puck find him in scoring areas. He has made his living finding the soft spots around the net. When he puck hits his tape, he fires it at the net. Skinner told me that playing with Eichel and Pominville is truly an hnor that he appreciates every day.

"I think with Eichs, you see the way he plays, he dictates the play. He can take over a game. Me and Pommer, are trying to be in the right spots and be good "outs" for him (Eichel). He's such a good player. When he does that, we have a center who can drive the play like that. Pommer has been around a long time and he knows the spots to be in and he always makes the right play. I think it makes a pretty good recipe for success and we have been reading off one another very well".

Ever humble, Skinner praised Eichel for being the locomotive the drives the 53-9-29 line, which has scored a combined 21 goals and 26 assists this season.

Skinner won't accept any of the praise for the prosperity and success of his line. He says Eichel deserves all of the accolades.


" He (Eichel) is one of the top centermen in the league for a reason. He dictates the pace of the play. He draws multiple people to him. He's able to create space for himself and his linemates. Me and Pommer just try to get open and have our sticks down on the ice".








Jeff Skinner has scored 9 goals and 7 assists in his last 10 games, which is Skinner's best 10-game scoring stretch in his career.

Skinner has become an even strength scoring master. Seven of Skinner's goals have come at even strength this season. Only 5 of his 16 points have come on the power play. Skinner finished the Ottawa drubbing tied for first in the NHL with a +12 rating, tied for sixth with six even-strength goals and tied for eighth with nine total goals.

I told Skinner my theory. He is exceeding all expectations and is scoring like a drunken sailor on shore leave because for the first time in his NHL career he is being appreciated for the star that he is. In other words, his expolits aren't being buried by NASCAR, college hoops and NCAA football as was the norm in North Carolina.


I told Skinner when you combine the Greater Toronto Area with metro Buffalo, you form a market of over 8 million hockey crazed lunatics. Buffalo-Toronto is the largest media market in the NHL except for New York City. The hockey media is headquartered in the Toronto market which is only a 65 mile drive from Buffalo.

That's far cry from Raleigh, North Carolina where Skinner played the first 8 seasons of his NHL career. Is Skinner's metamorphasis a by product of playing in a traditional hockey market? Is he cognizant of 16 million eyeballs and ears tracking his scoring prowess?
" Its so cool for me. Obviously being so close to home, my family gets to see me play a lot more games in person. Its cool. Thats the only word I can think of to describe it. It's exciting for them (family)".


Skinner loves him some home cooking. Buffalo is a par three away from his hometown of Toronto. His parents, siblings and friends love attending his Sabres games. Skinner told me he loves performing in front of his family and friends. It reminds him of his junior hockey days playing for the Kitchener Rangers.

"Its definitely cool. Its something that I have not experienced since junior (hockey). I'm sure they like it too. Its the ideal situation for me."


Skinner, 26, is in the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019. Skinner is an $5.725M AAV this season. He will no doubt be signing an Evander Kane comparable $7M AAV x 7 year contract. What are you waiting for, Jason Botterill? Pay the man. NOW!








Who says you can't go home?






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This squad. 🤙

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A win tonight will vault Buffalo into second place in the super-competitive Eastern Conference.






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Welcome to Pominville.

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Pominville enters tonight’s game on a seven-game point streak, during which he has totaled 13 points (7G,6A) and averaged 16:48 of ice time per game. It’s his first seven-game point streak since March 9 to 20, 2014 (4G,4A).


After yesterday’s game, the streak tied as the eighth-longest active point streak in the NHL.
A point tonight will give Pominville points in eight straight games for the first time since March 17 to April 3, 2009, when he accumulated 13 points (3G,10A) in eight games.


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Jack Eichel enters tonight’s game against the NY Rangers on a four-game point streak (1G,7A). Eichel also has points in each of his last four road games, totaling eight apples in those games.

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Carter Hutton is 4-0-0 in his career against the Rangers, boasting a .960 SV% and a 1.35 GAA in those games.


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Kyle Okposo has totaled 20 points (5+15) in his last 18 games against the Rangers, including five points (1+4) in four games against New York since the beginning of last season.

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Jack Eichel has 11 points (4G,7A) in 10 career games against the Rangers.


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Samson Reinhart has recorded nine points (3G,6A) in nine career games against New York, including points (2G,3A) in each of the last four meetings.

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Rasmus Ristolainen scored four points (2G,2A) in four games and Vladimir Sobotka had three apples in two games against the Rangers last season.


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