Unlike Jamie Benn, Jack Eichel has paid off his debt

In game #3 of the series between Vegas and Dallas, Jamie Benn was a cellar-dweller.

There’s no need to mince words. After all, hitting Mark Stone with his stick while the latter’s face was against the ice isn’t exactly an honorable gesture.

Without him, the Stars managed to win two games when they were up against the wall. We thought Jamie Benn was going to eat the boards in yesterday’s game, when his club lost the series 3-2.

After all, he had a lot to make up for in a home game.

And let’s just say that in a game the Stars lost miserably, Benn was relatively invisible. He really wasn’t a positive factor for his team in the game. Would the Stars have won if the NHL had put its pants on and suspended him for more than two games, which he deserved?

He hasn’t repaid his debt to the Stars, let’s say. And it’s surely only a matter of time before the Stars owner, once again, plants his player in the public square.

All of which brings us to Jack Eichel. And why?

Because, in a way, with everything the Golden Knights paid to get him over a year ago, the former Sabres man had the pressure to produce in the playoffs.

And aside from what it cost, his big contract prevents the Knights from going after other big guys. So he’s got to be one of those guys who puts his shoulder to the wheel by producing.

We have to admit, though, that watching him play, he’s paid his debt to the Knights and is on the way to clearing his reputation. And why? Because he’s his team’s leading scorer in the playoffs, with 18 points in 17 games.

Every game, you feel he’s doing something right. Whether it’s during the season (66 points in 67 games) or in the playoffs, he’s often been at the heart of the action for his team in recent months.

And in his first playoff appearance in the pros, he’s found the recipe to make himself useful.

Even though he’s his team’s leading scorer in the playoffs, he’s not often talked about. He blends in with the other stars out there, which seems to be a role tailor-made for him.

That doesn’t make him Connor McDavid (#97 has two more playoff points this year than Eichel… in one less round), since McDavid is much better… but a well-rounded Jack Eichel is currently in the finals.

That’s something, isn’t it?

Note that the last time Eichel made the playoffs was with Boston University in 2015. He lost in the final. Will the same fate await him this year? That remains to be seen.

In a row

– Good point.

– Not crazy.

– Really?

– No less than 32 players bought out are still on their former club’s payroll . [HF]

– Nice feat.