"For me, it's my first one and it's a huge honor and I'm excited for it," said Eichel, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, after he had a goal and three assists against the Oilers. "I'll have my family down there and it'll be cool. It's awesome to be playing well as a group right now, having confidence and enjoying ourselves."
Eichel, 21, missed the first 21 games of last season because of an ankle injury sustained in the Sabres' final practice before the start of the regular season.
This season he's played in all 48 games and has 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists), including 14 (five goals, nine assists) during a seven-game point streak he'll take into Buffalo's game at the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SNP, NHL.TV), their final game before the All-Star break.
"Last year being hurt at the start of the year made a difference," Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "And now being healthy this year and seeing how he impacts the game, I mean, look at [Tuesday], getting four points. He's elite and he's better than so many of us. He works at it. He prepares. He works on his game constantly. He is an all-star, absolutely.
"There are a lot of things out there that I can't even dream of doing. He's just above and beyond and it's nice to see him get rewarded. It's definitely well-deserved."