The Buffalo Sabres are in a spot all too familiar these last few seasons. They’re one point ahead of the three teams sharing last place in the NHL currently and looking like a team playing more for draft lottery positioning than any hope of a playoff run. The Sabres probably should be better than they have been this year, but they’ve stalled out a bit.

The lack of success in the standings is unfortunate, but it’s hard not to view this year as another step in what was always going to be a longer process. Should they be better based on their current roster? Probably, yes. Are they headed in the right direction? Definitely.

A big reason for that is the centerpiece of their rebuilding efforts – No. 2 overall pick in 2015, Jack Eichel. Like most of the rest of the team – with the exception of Ryan O’Reilly -- for much of the season, Eichel was not producing. He was creating a lot of opportunities for himself and teammates, but the results just weren’t coming. Until now.

The 19-year-old rookie, who was the Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in college hockey last season, had just 14 points through his first 32 games. Just under half a point per game is respectable for most rookies, but it didn’t match the hype Eichel entered the season with. But things are beginning to turn for the youngster.

Eichel has 20 points over his last 18 games. He is now second among all NHL rookies with 16 goals and 34 points.

It’s been a dramatic rise up the rookie scoring charts, where Eichel had severely been lagging behind. Lack of production didn’t mean that he was struggling, though. What we’re seeing now is the breakout that appeared to be on the horizon even during Eichel’s dreariest scoring lulls.

One of the constants about Eichel from start to finish this season is that he’s been one of the Sabres’ most effective players at generating shots on goal. He already has 150 this season, an average of three per game. Only Evander Kane has directed more shots on goal (157) and after those two, Rasmus Ristolainen is next closest with 118 shots on net.

Eichel’s current shot total puts him on pace to direct 246 shots at the net over 82 games, which would be the fourth most by a rookie dating back to 2000-01 (via hockey-reference.com). The three guys that had more are Alex Ovechkin (who had an absurd 425 shots as a rookie), Sidney Crosby (278) and Gabriel Landeskog (270). The shot total is just one of several indicators that Eichel was getting closer and closer to his break out and now it appears to have arrived.

Throughout the year, you could look at the number of plays Eichel was making and the way he was making them. He needed a little more finish and now he’s finishing those plays. At 19 years old, he is incredibly difficult to get the puck from already. On top of his big frame and good separation speed, he’s got some creativity, too.

There may be no better example of that than the first of two assists he picked up against the New York Rangers Monday night. The Sabres rookie was all out of options, with multiple rangers trying to put a body on him. He wasn’t able to get his stick back on the puck, but had body position. Then he had the presence of mind to step on the puck and kick it out to Girgensons, who immediately scored from the slot.

That’s a play few players would think to make. It was high-risk, but brought high reward.

He also was the difference in a win over the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night, scoring twice in a 3-2 victory. The first came via this sensational wraparound before which he simply shrugged off Sens defenseman Jared Cowen.

This is a player gaining confidence as the season rolls on.

Meanwhile, all year, Eichel has been playing a role far tougher than most of his rookie counterparts. The other top rookie scorers in the league are wingers. They have to learn a two-way game, too. However, as a center, Eichel has more defensive responsibilities. That’s part of his game that he’s still growing into, but as he continues to do that, his offensive game isn’t dropping off anymore.

One of the reasons for that might be that head coach Dan Bylsma appears to have subtly eased up on Eichel’s usage. Earlier this season, Eichel routinely topped 18 minutes a game, often touching closer to 20 minutes. He was also taking between 22 and 28 shifts per game. Lately, he’s been averaging a little closer to 17 minutes a game and almost never goes over 22 shifts in a single game. In nine of his last 10 games, Eichel hasn’t even hit 17:30 of ice time in a game. He has seven points over the last five games of that recent stretch.

Early on in the season, he was getting utilized like one of the team’s best forwards because he was and still is. But a production lull between mid-November and mid-December may have indicated the youngster was getting worn down under burdensome responsibilities.

At even strength between October and mid-December, Eichel was averaging 1.1 points per 60 minutes. In slightly more selective usage since mid-December, he’s averaging 2.3 points per 60 minutes. It’s quite a swing for such a small change.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, they haven’t been able to capitalize on the rookie’s hot streak. Eichel’s production has come amid a 7-11-1 run for the Sabres since Dec. 15. They’re second to last in the Atlantic Division and 11 points out of the last wild card spot in the East.

Despite that, Eichel has launched himself back into the Calder Memorial Trophy conversation. Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin has a wide lead on the rookie scoring race presently with 46 points in 53 games. That’s 12 more than Eichel right now, though the Sabres rookie trails Panarin by just one goal in that category.

Detroit Red Wings rookie and former Eichel teammate Dylan Larkin is also going to get a lot of attention with his 33 points in 48 games, most of which have come at even strength.  And you certainly can’t count out Arizona Coyotes rookie sensation Max Domi who has 32 points.

It’s been a fantastic year for rookies and it sounds like it’s about to get better when Connor McDavid returns to the Edmonton Oilers lineup after the All-Star break. It should be a compelling race to the finish for the league’s top first-year players, especially now that Eichel is back in it.

Jack Eichel's breakout performance has him back in the rookie of the year conversation. (USATSI)
Jack Eichel's breakout performance has him back in the rookie of the year conversation.(USATSI)