Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: first round, matchup 18

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far have been placed into a bracket of 64 entries, and fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the next round.

In the matchup Thursday, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins' shutout stretch defeated Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak's four-goal game.

The matchup Friday pits Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel's 17-game point streak against the Florida Panthers rallying from four goals down for the second time in 10 days to win.

Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

I'm a big fan of Eichel, and his 17-game point streak in the early part of the season certainly was something to watch. But to me, there is nothing better than a team staging a furious comeback unless, of course, you are the other team. In this case, the Panthers did it twice. On Nov. 12 they defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 in a shootout after trailing by four goals to start the third period. For an encore, they scored five straight goals to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime Nov. 21. They joined the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers as the only teams in NHL history to win multiple games in a season after trailing by at least four goals. That's not only historic, it's memorable. Sorry, Jack.

Rob Reese, fantasy editor

I agree with Bill that a comeback always is exciting, but if we're talking greatest moments, it must be Eichel's 17-game point streak, the longest of the NHL season. From Nov. 16-Dec. 21, Eichel had 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists), seven on the power play, in a personal 18-game point streak; he was scratched with an upper-body injury for a 6-1 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 19. For scope, his 32 points was first in the NHL, five more than Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon's 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) during the same span. Eichel's 17-game streak is tied for the second longest in Sabres history with Dave Andreychuk (Dec. 31, 1991-Feb. 4, 1992 and Oct. 8-Nov. 14, 1992). Gilbert Perreault holds the Sabres record at 18 games (Oct. 24-Dec. 4, 1971). Having led the NHL with the longest streak of the season, Eichel is the more memorable moment here.