After missing the first 21 games of the season with a high-ankle sprain, Jack Eichel had an immediate impact both on and off the ice for the Buffalo Sabres when he returned last week. Daniel Sorensen Jersey .In four games since, Eichel has three goals and one assist for four points. He has been dynamic and his presence has brought balance to the lineup of the Sabres, who are 2-1-1 in his four games.On Tuesday, Eichel and the Sabres will host the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid. McDavid and Eichel, who were drafted first and second, respectively, in 2015, will be forever linked. The initial hype about their expected rivalry has subsided a bit, but the two were front and center as teammates for Team North America during the World Cup of Hockey in September.While Eichel was rehabbing his injury, McDavid -- along with Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews and Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine?-- started the season with a bang. McDavid leads the league in points and Laine has been in or shared the league lead in goals. Now that Eichel is back, hes ready to make up for lost time.ESPN.com was there for his return and sat down with the second-year NHLer to talk about representing Team USA, getting creative, and the state of his rivalry with McDavid.ESPN.com: How much fun has it been to be back?Jack Eichel: Its been a lot of fun. Its been nice to see some goals on the board, nice to win and just nice to be back in the lineup playing, contributing.ESPN.com: Did being sidelined make you realize how much you missed the game?Eichel: Yeah, absolutely. Hockey is everything to me, so when youre away from it for as long as I was, it definitely bites at you and makes you that much more excited to get back.ESPN.com: Many describe the crop of young talent in the league today as the Golden Age of Youth. What does it mean for you to be a part of that group?Eichel:?More and more younger guys are getting opportunities and making the most of them. Its great for our league and fans. The game is obviously in a good place now, and were going to keep doing the things that were doing.ESPN.com: Its going to be a big deal in the hockey world every time you play against Connor McDavid. Now that you know him better after being teammates for Team North America during the World Cup, what will it be like when you face him on Tuesday?Eichel: Its the Edmonton Oilers versus the Buffalo Sabres for two points.ESPN.com: How have you dealt with all the hype surrounding the start of your career?Eichel: Ive put all that past me and just want to be an impact player. Ive played a year in the NHL now and Ive played in the World Cup. We have a good fan base and they obviously appreciate me and our team. So as a group, we just try to use it as support and build off of it.?ESPN.com: When you made that jump from Boston University to the professional level, how long did it take you to get used to the speed of the game at this level?Eichel: You get used to it pretty quickly. For me, it was a lot about confidence and realizing that you can make plays at this level. Last year, there was definitely a little bit of a transition at the beginning of the year, but the second half of the season things started to fall into place. It was important that I had played 40 games the year before at BU. Then it was about becoming more of a pro on a day-to-day basis, taking care of yourself a little bit better, more time at the gym throughout the days. I know Ive only played three games [through Sunday], but going through rehab and things like that, preparing for each practice a little bit better each time you go on the ice -- it all adds up.McDonald: How much focus have you put on your defensive game?Eichel: Thats probably one of the most important things for me. However I can find a way to contribute to our team and help us win -- whether thats scoring goals or playing [sound] defensively -- thats how I want to be. Some of the plays our team had made down the stretch ... if we dont make those, maybe we dont win the game. A lot goes into winning games at this level. As a group, were starting to learn that. And, realizing how tight it is each night, we just want to be on the right side of these games.McDonald: What advice would you give a young player today?Eichel: Just make sure you enjoy the game. Dont get caught up in being stressed over what youre going to do. Ive seen so many kids who kind of overthought it. Hockeys a game. Go to practice every day and try to get better. Im a big believer that if you want success, its up to you. Your own success is all in your own hands. So, if you want to be great, you can be great.?My dad instilled that mindset in me -- that however good you want to be, however far you want to take this game -- is just up to you and how hard you want to work and what type of sacrifices you want to make. That being said, Ive been fortunate enough to have a lot of good people with me throughout my hockey career. More than anything, hard work is the key to everything in life, and hockeys no different.McDonald: Youre a creative player. How important is it to have that creativity in todays game?Eichel: Its huge. Theres a lot of coaching in todays game, and if youre going to win, you need to play a tight game. Its important for the fans to be able to see some creativity on the ice. Its exciting, and obviously it creates offense. Some of the best players in our game are the most creative and do some of the craziest things. Ive even tried to become more creative within the last year. Watching hockey, seeing the tendencies of other players and what they like to do, Ive just tried to mimic it.McDonald: Can you learn to be creative? Or is it all instinct?Eichel: Its a little bit instinctive, but you can learn it. If youre a student of the game and you watch it as much as I do, youre going to pick up on the things other people do -- and pick up tendencies of defensemen -- and build a little bit of an advantage for yourself.McDonald: How much does communication play into being creative?Eichel: Thats something you build, chemistry and understanding the players youre playing with. Ive played with?Sam Reinhart?a lot. Were trying a lot of different things in practice, and we try to carry that over into games. We talk a lot about it and I think it works pretty well. It comes with getting to know your linemates and the people you play with.McDonald: Youve represented Team USA in other international events. What would it mean to play in the 2018 Olympics?Eichel: It would be great. Its a long ways away, but its something I would love to do. Ive [played for Team USA] a lot, but being able to do it for the national team, build a lot of patriotism, and I would take a lot of pride in it. Youre representing your whole country and I always like doing it.McDonald: Youre a student of the game. If you had the opportunity to sit down and talk hockey with one former player, who would it be?Eichel:?Thats a tough one, because there are so many I would want to talk to. Wayne Gretzky has the most points ever and hes the best player of all time, so probably him. Albert Lewis Jersey .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Jerrel Wilson Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom...arge-2306n.html . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. After a thrilling day of initial group matches between eight elite Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams, the DreamHack Winter action continued Friday as the tournament took its next step toward crowning a $50,000 winner. With GODSENT and Renegades already through to the semifinals by way of coming out of their groups as the first seed, the remaining six teams battled it out for the final two spots in the semifinals. After four best-of-three series, Team Kinguin and Gambit Gaming came out victorious. With four dark horse teams in the playoffs, it is basically anyones tournament to win.Team Kinguin earns victory in Group AIn what has continued to be a tournament of upsets, the reigning Epicenter winners, Team Dignitas, were felled in the Group A losers match against FlipSid3 Tactics. While FlipSid3 is a team that has been gaining some ground in the Counter-Strike scene of late, Team Dignitas is widely considered to be a top-10, if not top-five team. For the mostly-Danish squad to get taken out by a team that has struggled in recent months is a bit surprising. It wasnt a blowout by any means, as both of FlipSid3s wins went 30 rounds while Dignitas win went 29. The close win moved FlipSid3 on to the Group A decider to take on Team Kinguin.The momentum did not help FlipSid3 in its next matchup, however, as Kinguin got off to a nice start in the decider series, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. But FlipSid3 wasnt going to let things get away that easily. It would storm all the way back to force overtime and eventually take the first map 19-16. Game 2 switched over to Overpass and saw FlipSid3 get off to a 9-6 lead at the half only for Kinguin to march right back. Miko?aj mouz Karolewski kicked it into high gear and helped Kinguin bounce back with a 10-4 second half to take the map 16-13. Mouz finished with a kills/deaths count (K/D) of 23/18 and a game-high 94.3 average damage per round (ADR). The teams would move to Mirage for the final game where FlipSid3 got off to a quick 6-1 start before its wheels completely came off. Kevin Ross Jersey. Kinguin, behind a stellar game from Micha? MICHU Müller, won 15 straight rounds to take the map and the series, moving on to face Renegades in semifinals Saturday.Gambit Gaming defies the odds and advances to semifinalsAfter Cloud9 was upset by Renegades in the first game of Group B on Thursday, the North American team was forced to battle through the losers bracket of Group B to make its way to the semifinals. That road started with a matchup against the other North American team in the tournament, OpTic Gaming. While many would have expected a bit of a close series, it ended up being anything but. Jordan n0thing Gilbert helped Cloud9 make incredibly short work of OpTic, posting a 49/28 K/D and 97.3 ADR. The team won Game 1 on Overpass 16-8 and Game 2 on Dust 2 16-6. That set the team up with a match against Gambit Gaming.At first, Gambit didnt put up much more of a fight in its series against Cloud9 than OpTic did. Cloud9 seemingly picked up right where it left off with OpTic, taking Game 1 on Mirage by a lopsided score of 16-6. This time it was Timothy autimatic Ta coming up big with a 27/9 K/D to go along with a stellar 114.7 ADR. Game 2 was a completely different story, as it seemed as though some other force took over control of Gambit. It got off to a 13-2 start with Rustem mou Tlepov leading the way with his 16/5 K/D at the half. Gambit would then win the first three rounds of the second half to take the game 16-2. The final game on Dust 2 was the closest of the series, but it was Gambit that would come out victorious against all odds. The European team got out to an 11-4 lead at the half before wrapping up the 16-11 win. This time it was Dauren AdreN Kystaubayev who stepped up to lead the team to victory, putting together an impressive 24/14 K/D. Gambit is moving on to face GODSENT in the semifinals Saturday. ' ' '