Eichel: 'I’m going to start to take off' once Sabres resume season

The Buffalo Sabres haven't played since Jan. 31 due to COVID-19 concerns, and captain Jack Eichel is itching to hit the ground running once the team is in action again.

“I’m really excited to get the season going again," he said Wednesday, according to The Times Herald's Bill Hoppe. "I think I’m going to start to take off hopefully.”

The Sabres went nearly 10 months between their last game of the 2019-20 season and their first contest this campaign. Eichel also missed the opening five days of training camp in January. He says building momentum has been tough.

"It took a little bit of time for myself at least to get my legs under me during the season," Eichel said. "There’s no preseason games. Camp was quick."

Eichel potted a career-best 36 goals last season while leading the Sabres with 78 points over 68 games. He's amassed two goals and 11 points over 10 outings so far in 2020-21, but the forward believes he can offer much more.

"A little bit of a slow start for me," Eichel said. "Not really where I want to be. But I feel like I’ve definitely taken advantage of these two weeks in trying to prepare myself to have a successful next 46 games."

The Sabres own a 4-4-2 record and are slated to return to action against the New York Islanders on Feb. 15.