Smiles, memories abound as Sabres take the ice for outdoor practice

NEW YORK - It's been said so much, it's almost become cliché. When players have spoken throughout the buildup to the 2018 Bridgestone Winter Classic, they've almost always cited how playing in the event might take them back to their childhoods. Many of them learned the game on ponds or outdoor rinks.
Seeing the smiles on the players' faces as they took the ice for practice at Citi Field on Sunday, however, one might have thought they werekids. As they skated through their drills and then welcomed their families onto the ice, the statement felt less like a cliché and more like reality.
Zach Bogosian, who has yet to play an outdoor game in 10 NHL seasons, may have summed it up best.

"You feel like you're back in your childhood," he said. "You don't lose that feeling when you play in the NHL, on a normal rink, but to do it outdoors - it just brings back that smell of being outside and the wind hitting your face. There's really nothing like it.
"That's at the core of who we are as hockey players … To have that as an adult, on a huge stage like this, it's a cool experience."
Jack Eichel skated with his father, Bob, following the practice and said it took him back to his youth in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Bob would pick up Jack from school on Fridays and take him to the pond, where they'd play until the lights went dark.
"You make so many memories just by being out there," Eichel said. "That's where the game started and where the roots of this great game we play are … It's pretty amazing how much better you can get being on the ice with skates and a stick and a puck. You don't need a whole lot."

Evander Kane said that the environment not only brought back childhood memories, but perhaps even some child-like tendencies.
"I was kind of caught, I think I missed a drill or two there, a rep or two, just kind of looking around a little bit and kind of soaking it all in," Kane said. "It's definitely something that you're fortunate to be a part of."

This year's Winter Classic marks the 10th anniversary of the event, a tradition that began when the Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on a snowy New Year's Day in Orchard Park back in 2008. Jason Pominville is the only current Sabre to have played in that game.
In fact, 17 of the 23 players on Buffalo's active roster entered the NHL in the time since that first Winter Classic was played, which begs the question: has this event become a game that players put on their career bucket list?
"One hundred percent," Bogosian said. "You look at different achievements or different experiences that you've had in hockey, this is right up there for me."
"Yeah, of course," Eichel said as he sat next to Pominville. "Most kids, I think, probably dream of playing in this game and I was no different. I was watching him play in the first one."
Of course, practice also served as a test run for the conditions that players might face come Monday. Many of the Sabres have played in outdoor games already in their career, including forward Kyle Okposo, who after Monday will have played at the homes of both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets.
"Sticks get really cold," Okposo said. "That's the battle, really. You have to keep the sticks warm and everything feels normal. But it wasn't too bad. There was a little bit of a glare, for sure, and then when the wind picks up it gets a little dicey. But it was pretty good."
With so many factors in play, Okposo said the key to the game will be to not try and do too much.
"You've just got to keep it simple," he said. "Try and get the pucks deep, get the pucks out, and not be too fancy out there."
The Sabres enter the game having earned three points in two games since returning from their holiday break, including an overtime win against New Jersey on Friday. The turnaround in their play, however, goes back further. While they have left points on the table, the Sabres have earned at least one point in eight of 11 games since winning in Colorado on Dec. 5.
"I think that over the last few games or so we've been a more consistent team shift in and shift out, and it's shown," Eichel said. "We've figured out what's made us successful and what we can do to put ourselves in the best position to win. I think that we're all buying in a little bit better now.
"I think we're starting to come together and things have been better, but we still have a long way to go."
It's been Eichel steering the wheel throughout the run. The forward has scored eight goals and eight assists in his last 12 games, and he's produced four multi-point outings (and three multi-goal outings) since scoring his first career hat trick on Dec. 15.
"Jack has really taken his play to another level," Housley said. "It was great to see. He's a leader, he leads by example. You can see by his play on the ice."
"He's the driving force of this team, there's no question about that," Bogosian said.
Eichel and the Sabres now have a chance to prove on a national stage that they're better than their record suggests. A win over the Rangers would be the perfect cap to what's already been a memorable stay in New York.
"I'm just so excited that I'm able to be a part of it, just to share this moment and this entire experience with my family and the people who have been close to me," Eichel said. "It's pretty special. It's been a great weekend."

So, does eye black actually help?

According to Kane, no. He was asked whether wearing eye black on the ice actually helped fight the sun, and he admitted it was purely aesthetic.
"It's all about style points. It does absolutely nothing when it comes to the sun," he said. "I'll probably spend a little bit of time in the bathroom later on tonight trying to figure out what looks best for me and bring that into tomorrow's game."

A tour of Citi Field

For those wondering what it might be like to walk from the dressing room out onto the field on Monday, we've got you covered. Dan Dunleavy and Brian Duff gave a virtual tour on Twitter following practice, which you can watch below:

In the dressing room

Hear from O'Reilly, Okposo and Housley in the videos below.

Lines at practice

Victor Antipin was absent for the second straight practice due to an illness. Ryan O'Reilly, who had a maintenance day on Saturday, returned to the ice and centered a line with Kane and Jason Pominville.
Here's how the full lineup looked at practice:
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 15 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
9 Evander Kane - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo
67 Benoit Pouliot - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
22 Johan Larsson - 10 Jacob Josefson - 17 Jordan Nolan
20 Scott Wilson
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 47 Zach Bogosian
4 Josh Gorges - 82 Nathan Beaulieu
41 Justin Falk
40 Robin Lehner
31 Chad Johnson