NHL: Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres - Source: Imagn — Golden Knights captain Mark Stone makes his thoughts known after Jack Eichel gets heavily booed by Sabres fans (Image Credit: Imagn)

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone makes his thoughts known after Jack Eichel gets heavily booed by Sabres fans

Modified Mar 16, 2025 18:04 GMT

Jack Eichel made his return to Buffalo on Saturday afternoon for the third time since being traded to Vegas in November 2021.

The Golden Knights blew a 3-2 third period lead, eventually losing to the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout. Eichel thought he had the game-winning goal with 2:33 left in the third, but Rasmus Dahlin ensured otherwise, tying the game 13.6 seconds before the final buzzer.

It came just seconds after Tomas Hertl missed on a pass attempting to find Jack Eichel for an empty net goal to seal the game.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone spoke prior to Sunday's game and was asked about the play. He backed his teammate for trying to find Eichel who had been booed all afternoon at KeyBank Center.

Golden Knights reporter Danny Webster shared the captain's comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"Looking back on it now, you want Tommy to put it in, but we had a teammate getting booed the entire night and he wanted to share the wealth with him. You can't hate on his willingness to help a teammate out," Stone said.

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Eichel spent the first six seasons of his career as a Sabre before requesting a trade due to disagreements on how to handle a rare neck injury. He was dealt to Vegas in a blockbuster trade sending Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick back to Buffalo.

He's since won a Stanley Cup (2022-23), and produced at over a point-per-game rate.

Jack Eichel is having an MVP-caliber season

Jack Eichel is putting together the best season of his 10-year career to date.

The 28-year-old has racked up 80 points (21 goals, 59 assists) through 65 games thus far, which ranks seventh in the entire NHL. He's just two points shy of his career-high of 82 points from the 2018-19 season, and will do so in much fewer games.

The second-overall pick from the 2015 draft is getting some love in the Hart Trophy conversation for his play. FanDuel Sportsbook has Eichel in a tie for the eighth best odds to win league MVP in 2024-25. Right in the prime of his career, expect him to continue this elite production for years to come.

Eichel and the Golden Knights are right back in action on Sunday afternoon in Detroit against the Red Wings. The puck dropped at 1 p.m. EDT at Little Caesars Arena.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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