Update (3/15/16 10 am): With Ryan O'Reilly back, it seems Bylsma has broken up this line, at least during practice, in order to give ROR "some wingers". Stay tuned...
Over the summer, we dreamed fevered dreams that the players Tim Murray was picking up would congeal into something we could get out hands around.
Would the Sabres be a free-flowing attacking force? Would they be the heirs apparent to The Hardest Working Team in Hockey?
While the identity of this squad hasn't fully emerged, the foundational DNA is showing up in the form of the Reinhart Eichel-Kane line. This line is so good right now, it calls for Sabres fans to stop and recognize it.
Kane is known for bringing grit to the rink, but it's his impressive pace streaking down the wing that opponents must respect. Whether its lugging the puck up ice or bearing down on a defenseman digging a puck out of the corner, Kane's speed means less time for the opposition to read and react.
Reinhart is already years more mature than his age indicates. It's the kind of maturity that says he can be counted on night in and night out. Reinhart also has the vision to find Kane flying down the opposite wing or Eichel waiting on a back-door saucer pass.
In addition to his speed and his shot, Eichel brings the rare ability to mentally will momentum away from a surging opposition. Few players in the league move with deliberate confidence like Jack Eichel down two goals. Time and time again, Sabres comebacks have been sparked by an Eichel shift that pins back the opposition.
Just how good is this line? Well, its a bit in the early going, but the REK line stacks up well against a lot of the other top lines around the league.
Over the past ten games, the Sabres top line has the eighth most shot attempts for in the league, just 3 shots less than the high-flying Patrick Kane-Artem Anisimov- Artemi Panarin line. The REK line actually has more unblocked shots than Chicago's top trio, 74 to 71.
Where the Buffalo line falls short, over the last 10 games, is on the forecheck. The Eichel line has given up more shot attempts than other top lines, with about a 50/50 split in Shot Attempts For to Shot Attempts Against. By comparison, St. Louis' top line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz gets more than 2 Shots Attempts per every Shot Attempt Against.
So yes, this line isn't perfect. And Bylsma could break them up (he may already have) should they start slumping. But, all too often we Sabres fans focus on the negative, and this Eichel line has been flying with the best of them.
It's time to stop and smell the roses.
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