The Buffalo Sabres (my hometown team) take on the Vegas Golden knights tonight at 7 pm EST.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams since former Buffalo Sabres captain, and star player Jack Eichel was traded to the knights last year following a long-term dispute between Eichel and the medical staff.

Eichel had a herniated disk in his neck and wanted to be the first NHL player to ever undergo an artificial disk replacement, while the Sabres medical staff – who had the final say – insisted on a disk fusion. Eichel refused, and eventually was traded to the Golden Knights where he was given the choice of surgery and chose the disk replacement.

Eichel’s return to Buffalo last year following the trade was eventful, the Sabres fans, displeased by Eichel’s choice to leave Buffalo immediately booed him the second he stepped foot on the ice. The booing persisted the entire night. The Sabres ended up winning in dramatic fashion, and Eichel had some choice words for the Buffalo fans after the game in his post-game interview. 

Let’s just say this is becoming quite the rivalry and I can’t wait to watch, if you are interested tune in at 7 pm EST on ESPN Plus to watch.