Since scoring his first career hat trick on Dec. 15, Eichel's scoring has been particularly prolific. His nine goals in in 11 games during that stretch leads the NHL, and his 15 points rank fifth. He's produced five multi-point efforts during that span, four of which saw him score multiple goals.
It's all coincided with an improvement in his play away from the puck, evident in plays when he utilizes his speed on the backcheck such as this breakup of a 2-on-1 attempt against Philadelphia on Dec. 22:
"I think his play away from the puck is getting better," Sabres coach Phil Housley said at the time. "You look at that goal he saved on the power play, where he just put his head down and you could see how his speed is so valuable to our team.
"And when he does get the puck and he's attacking through the neutral zone, he's a very deadly player."
Eichel will be joined on the Atlantic Division roster by Tampa Bay's Kucherov, Steven Stamkos (team captain), Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy; Boston forward Brad Marchand; Detroit defenseman Mike Green; Florida forward Aleksander Barkov; Montreal goaltender Carey Price; Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson and Toronto forward Auston Matthews.
The NHL's All-Star Weekend runs from Jan. 26-28 at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
