Eichel notches hat trick, 4 points as surging Golden Knights top Sabres

Jack Eichel had some extra motivation Thursday night, and he certainly played like it.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward notched a hat trick and added an assist in a 7-4 road victory over his former team, the Buffalo Sabres. It was the visitors' ninth consecutive win.

Fans in Buffalo booed Eichel every time he took the ice early in the game, so he responded with a celebratory pose for the crowd after his first goal of the night.

Eichel got his second tally late in the third period, whipping one home off a feed from Chandler Stephenson.

He capped off his performance with a long-range empty-netter.

Eichel became the first player in franchise history to collect four points in a period, eclipsing nine skaters who shared the record with three.

The 26-year-old center especially relished his first goal of the night.

"It felt good," he told reporters, including the Times Herald's Bill Hoppe. "I had a couple of breakaways ... (The fans) were obviously on me all night. Yeah, it felt good to get one. It was a big point in the game for our group. It never felt like we were fully in control."

Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy heaped praise on Eichel after the victory.

"He probably should have had seven points tonight," Cassidy said. "He was our best player. He was ready to go, he wanted this win. We just wanted to support him, obviously. It's tough, I mean, they're on him all night. But it shows (his) character ... (he'll) do anything to win the game, and we see the raw emotion when he gets those big goals."

Eichel said before the contest he may have been "a little bit hurt" by the reception he received during his first trip back to Buffalo last season after spending his first six NHL campaigns with the Sabres.