Jack Eichel scores goal in season debut after ankle injury (Video)

Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel blasted a goal early in his first game of the NHL season, Tuesday.

Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain in practice on Oct. 12, which was one day before the Sabres were set to start their 2016-17 campaign and during his time away, the Sabres struggled to score goals. But on Tuesday, the 19-year-old Eichel showed his importance as a scoring star in a 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.

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On his goal, Eichel fired a one-timer on Senators goaltender Craig Anderson to make the game 2-0 at the 9:31 mark of the first period.

On Buffalo’s first goal of the game, Eichel whipped a cross-ice pass to Kyle Okposo who finished the opportunity on Anderson to make it 1-0 at the 6:16 mark of the first period. Both goals were scored on the power play.

On Tuesday morning before the game, Eichel said he was ready for action, even though he still felt some pain in his ankle.

“You can notice it at all times, to be honest,” Eichel said. “It’s not something that bothers you. You just notice it. It’s not something that restricts you from doing anything. You know it’s there.”

Once he got up to speed he looked fine, even though he slowed down a little after the first period.

“I was pretty excited in that first period, then that second period I got a little fatigued because it’s tough to keep in game shape after not playing for a while,” Eichel said.

Without Eichel in the lineup, the Sabres had gone 7-9-5 and held the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Islanders. Buffalo also came into Tuesday’s game with the worst offense in the NHL, scoring 1.81 goals per-game. Eichel’s return should certainly give them a boost overall, especially as he continues to get up to speed.

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“It adds a big dimension to our team,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said after the game. “There’s speed. Right from the beginning of the power play, there’s a different level of execution, a different level of speed.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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