The Associated Press
John Wawrow
BUFFALO, N.Y.–Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres put aside their concerns for hospitalized teammate Kyle Okposo for a moment to close their home schedule with a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s good ending on a good note,” Eichel said following a win last night that snapped the Canadiens’ five-game winning streak.
The frustrating part was waving to the fans for one last time knowing Buffalo’s season will end at Tampa Bay on Sunday without a playoff berth for a sixth-straight year.
“It’s a tough feeling when you’re leaving the ice and it’s another failed season and you’re done,” Eichel conceded.
Making the game even more difficult was the uncertainty over Okposo, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed illness for more than a week.
“We all care really much about Kyle,” Eichel said. “It’s never easy to see him go through what he’s been going through not feeling well.
“We just all want to be here to support him and wish him all the best.
“Hopefully he gets healthy soon.”
A person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that Okposo has spent the past three days in Buffalo General Hospital’s neuro-surgical intensive care unit undergoing a battery of tests.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Sabres have not revealed Okposo has been hospitalized.
Without disclosing the nature of the illness, coach Dan Bylsma only would say he’s “very concerned.”
Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyler Ennis were the goal scorers last night while Robin Lehner stopped 31 shots in a game the Sabres hung on to win after building a 2-0 lead through two periods.
The Sabres hit a milestone by finishing with a 20-15-6 home record to reach the 20-win mark for the first time since a 21-12-8 finish back in 2011-12.
Tomas Plekanec replied for the Canadiens while Carey Price stopped 28 shots in what essentially was a mean-nothing game between two Atlantic Division rivals.
Montreal had little left to play for in having already secured the team’s fourth playoff berth in five years.
The Canadiens were coming off a 4-1 win at Florida on Monday in which they clinched the division title and guaranteed the Eastern Conference’s second seed once the playoffs open next week.
“We’ve done a pretty good job to date of staying focused and trying to get better as a team, but sometimes you’ve got to give you your team a pass,” said coach Claude Julien.
“Tonight wasn’t a terrible game,” he noted. “It was just an ordinary game in our minds.”
Washington blanked the N.Y. Rangers 2-0 in the only other NHL game last night.
