Jack Eichel shows flashes of his ability in Golden Knights debut

Jack Eichel sneaked in some conversation before his first NHL faceoff in more than 11 months.

He asked Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who sustained a concussion and facial fracture last month, how he was doing. MacKinnon told Eichel it was good to see him back on the ice.

Then the puck was dropped, Eichel won the draw and the center’s debut with the Golden Knights was underway Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. It wasn’t great. He had one shot on goal, took two penalties and was minus-1 at five-on-five in 17:32 of ice time.

But the glimpses of Eichel’s old self were there. The player who can chat up MacKinnon — a Hart Trophy finalist three of the past four seasons — before a game and stay with him during it.

“He’s obviously a very special player,” Knights center Brett Howden said. “Just the way he sees the game. He’s so patient. He’s just so smart. He waits to make the right play. Obviously, all the skill added to that makes him the player he is.”

Eichel said he didn’t expect himself to be perfect. After all, his last NHL game was March 7 with the Buffalo Sabres.

Since then, he’s been traded, undergone neck surgery and worked his way back to full health. He needs to adjust to game speed and build chemistry with his new teammates. There were plays in which it was evident Eichel was still learning where his linemates expect him to be.

Center William Karlsson said he thought learning the Knights’ systems would be the toughest part for Eichel.

“We’re a brand new team, and he hasn’t played with us,” Karlsson said. “It’s also about getting to know your teammates, how they play and what to expect when this or that guy has the puck.”

But Eichel had his good moments, too.

He won puck battles with his strength along the wall and behind the net. One time that led to him getting the puck to left wing Max Pacioretty, who set up right wing Evgenii Dadonov on a partial breakaway.

Eichel also showed off his passing acumen at points. One pass into the offensive zone led to Pacioretty drawing a penalty in the corner.

Eichel also showed his prowess on the power play. Coach Pete DeBoer said he thought the Knights’ first opportunity, which generated one scoring chance, showed what Eichel can do to break down a penalty kill from his left half wall position.

“There was a couple of plays made there that we probably haven’t made all year,” DeBoer said.

The Knights hope to see those plays more consistently from Eichel as he settles in. He will learn where his teammates want the puck and how to set them up. He will show off his shot — which center Nicolas Roy called “off the charts.”

When he puts it all together, he should be one of the league’s most dangerous players again.

“His patience with the puck, his speed and his skill, it’s noticeable,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It might take a little bit, chemistrywise. He hasn’t played in a year. Some timing things are off.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.