Connor McDavid scored on Jack Eichel’s team so Sabres fans booed him

After a Sabres turnover, Jordan Eberle fed McDavid in front. It was the first time that the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft faced off against each other and it was slated for a national USA audience on the NBC Sports Network.

McDavid scored twice, including in overtime, to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 2-1 victory over the Sabres in an anticipated matchup against another top rookie, Jack Eichel.

Similarities aside, the rookies seasons of McDavid and Eichel have gone differently in some ways.

But Eichel, who was not on the ice for the goal, did his part in helping the Sabres keep McDavid in check. Eichel scored a goal in that game and McDavid doubled him up on Tuesday.

“I’m excited”, McDavid said. “To do it in front of friends and family, it feels even better”. A lot of them don’t get that at an early age and have to learn that as they go.

McDavid is from suburban Toronto and played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Pennsylvania-based Erie Otters. “Tough bounce, they break out and the puck’s in our net”.

Then with eight minutes into the period, Eichel had a prime scoring chance on his signature wrap around attempt, but Eichel didn’t take the chance. He showed off his all-around game, won a few key faceoffs (some against McDavid) and unloaded five shots. “I think the special thing is that these two are going to play a lot of hockey against each other. And the fans are very lucky to watch them play on a nightly basis because they’re gifted, they’re skilled, they’re the future of our game”, McLellan said.

Sam Reinhart, the second overall pick (by Buffalo) in the 2014 draft, aka the forgotten rookie, set up the Sabres’ tying score at 9:06 of the third period.

“I didn’t like our team right from the start of the game”, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. Former Sabres’ player Andrej Sekera scored on a bad rebound that Lehner left out.

The 19-year-old centre was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for February.

After losing the opening faceoff, McDavid stripped the puck from Bogosian near the blue line.

McDavid, who now has 31 points in his first 28 National Hockey League games, didn’t have much to shoot at on his victor, but somehow he squeezed it through the legs of Robin Lehner, who otherwise was very strong in the Buffalo net.

“You guys probably want to do it that way”, Eichel said, when asked about facing McDavid. McDavid made a quick deke inside to his backhand and had an open net for his 11th goal of the season. Eichel has 17 goals and 41 points in 64 games. The second challenge discovered prior to the play, Edmonton was offside.

Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe left the game because of an upper-body injury with 3:05 left after a collision with Oilers forward Nail Yakupov.

McDavid and the Otters also played a regular-season game in Buffalo in October 2014.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Impressed yet not surprised, Oilers coach Todd McLellan couldn’t help but acknowledge the larger than usual gathering of reporters on hand for what was essentially a meaningless game in Buffalo on Tuesday. Buffalo has squandered the two or three that they have had in this game, while the Oilers have capitalized on their first of the night. Nugent-Hopkins has missed 18 games with a broken finger….