The Golden Knights can only hope Jack Eichel’s second homecoming goes better than the first.

Eichel’s first trip back to Buffalo after his Nov. 4, 2021, trade to the Knights resulted in a 3-1 loss March 10 at KeyBank Center in front of a hostile crowd eager to boo him. Forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, who were sent to the Sabres in the deal, each scored.

Eichel and the Knights need to flip that result at 4 p.m. Thursday if they want to extend their winning streak to nine games and wrap up a 5-0 trip. The matchup will not be available on broadcast TV. It will be shown exclusively on ESPN+/Hulu.

Eichel, who leads the Knights with 15 points in 14 games, seems more prepared this time to return to the place where he spent the first six years of his career. He said the cold reception last season caught him off guard, leading him to dig at Sabres fans afterward by saying “it only took seven years and me leaving for them to get into the game.”

“Maybe a little bit surprised by the reception,” Eichel said. “I’m just like anyone else. I’m a human being, and it was emotional for me like it was probably for them. Maybe I was a little bit hurt. And that’s probably why I said the things I said.”

Eichel has reason to be content.

He’s playing a leading role on the team with the best record in the NHL. His trade, sparked by a dispute over how to treat a herniated disk in his neck, appears to be working out for both sides.

Buffalo added Krebs and 2022 first-round pick Noah Ostlund to its impressive collection of young talent and still has the Knights’ 2023 second-round pick. Tuch, who grew up a Sabres fan in Syracuse, New York, has won over plenty of fans with his attitude and play.

The 26-year-old has seven goals and four assists in 13 games this season.

“I think our fans and people that watch us can identify with what he brings,” Buffalo coach Don Granto said. “He’s got a passion for the Sabres.”

Tuch and the rest of the Sabres should present a stiff challenge to the Knights’ winning streak because KeyBank Center traditionally has been a difficult place for the team to win.

They’re 1-3 at the arena, with their win coming in a shootout.

The game is the final one on a trip in which the Knights have been away from home for 11 days.

Lineup information was not immediately available. Rookie goaltender Logan Thompson is projected to start, according to the Buffalo News.

Knights at Sabres

TV: ESPN+/Hulu

Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)

Line: Knights -164; total 6½

Knights record: 12-2-0

Sabres record: 7-6-0

Head-to-head: 0-0-0 (Knights 1-1-0 last season)

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