Sam Reinhart was the 2nd overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. When one is picked in the top three, lofty expectations are put on young shoulders. Playing in nine games and totaling just one point, it was clear the the then-18-year old was not ready. Besides, Buffalo was about to embark on the tank of epic proportions in an attempt to draft Connor McDavid, something that netted them the “consolation” in Jack Eichel.
However, Reinhart is back this year, playing the wing with newcomer Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Ennis. He had yet to score his first NHL goal entering last night’s contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning, entering the game with one assist through the first four in which Buffalo was 1-3. They dropped to 1-4 with a 2-1 loss, but outshot the Lightning 16-3 in the first period and 32-22 for the game. There also came a positive for one of the Sabres best talents.
The aforementioned Reinhart and Ennis combined for relentless forecheck that resulted in the first goal of the game. In a losing effort, it’s quite encouraging to see these two players creating these types of goals, as the team is still in rebuilding mode. Head coach Dan Bylsma and crew will be counting these types of plays in each player’s growth through the years.
This season could provide a sneak preview of what the young talent of the Sabres could be with the arrivals of Evander Kane, Eichel, O’Reilly, and Reinhart into the top six, growing pains and all.
Ones that will pay off down the road.
.gif courtesy of GIPHY
video courtesy of SabresMafia1970 (YT user)
stats courtesy of HockeyDB
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