BUFFALO New Jersey Devils Hats Authentic , N.Y. (AP) Upon passing a physical and signing his three-year NHL contract, Casey Mittelstadt’s first order of business as a member of the Buffalo Sabres proved to be a perk on Tuesday.The 19-year-old was invited out for lunch with Sabres star Jack Eichel.”It’s definitely something pretty cool for a kid like me,” Mittelstadt said. ”It’s good to know he’s excited I’m here and he’s interested in getting to know me.”If the 21-year-old Eichel is the undisputed face of the Sabres, Mittelstadt is being counted upon to be a valuable addition in the struggling franchise’s bid to rebuild with youth. He was selected with the No. 8 pick in the draft last year, and signed with Buffalo a little more than a week after the playmaking center completed his freshman season at the University of Minnesota.Mittelstadt is scheduled to join the Sabres for practice on Wednesday and expected to make his NHL debut the following day, when Buffalo hosts the Detroit Red Wings in a game between two teams already eliminated from playoff contention.The Sabres have six games left, and are in jeopardy of finishing last in the overall standings for the third time in five years.Mittelstadt was mostly unfamiliar with the Sabres’ past woes while growing up a Wild fan in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.Over the past year, he’s become more familiar with the focus being placed on the team’s youngsters to restore winning to a team that’s not made the playoffs in seven years.”I think I can feel the struggle a little bit,” Mittelstadt said. ”And obviously, there’s a big emphasis being put on the young guys to turn it around here.”Mittelstadt had 11 goals and 19 assists in 34 games and was selected to the Big Ten all-freshmen team this year.The Golden Gophers’ season ended last week, when they were on the wrong end of numerous scenarios in being eliminated from competing in the NCAA Tournament.Mittelstadt took a few days to weigh his options before electing to turn pro last weekend. He said Minnesota coach Don Lucia’s decision to step down after 19 seasons had little influence on his decision.”I wanted to make sure the decision I came to that I’m both feet in,” he said. ”And it came up over and over again that both my feet were into go pro.”Buffalo has become a familiar setting for Mittelstadt. He attended the NHL pre-draft rookie combine in the city last spring.He made yet a bigger splash in representing the bronze-medal-winning United States team at the World Junior hockey championship, which was held in Buffalo three months ago. Mittelstadt was selected as the 10-nation tournament’s MVP after finishing tied for first in scoring with 11 points (four goals Custom New Jersey Devils Jerseys , seven assists).The inkling of one day playing for the Sabres in the same arena briefly crossed Mittelstadt’s mind during the world juniors, though he was more focused on representing the U.S. and returning to Minnesota.”Obviously, things didn’t turn out the way we wanted them to this year,” Mittelstadt said of the Gophers’ season ending.”But when the time came and I had some time to sit down and think and talk with my family, I think this was the right decision.”By adding Mittelstadt, the Sabres demoted forward Justin Bailey to Rochester.— DENVER (AP) — Don’t be fooled: That third-period lead isn’t so safe.Not this season, anyway. There’s been quite a comeback for the comeback.The NHL has seen 110 third-period comeback wins spanning 611 games through New Year’s Eve. That’s third-most in league history and not far off the 114 rallies in 2014-15 and 113 in ’13-14, according to research by the NHL stats and information department.Going into the new year, the only teams without a third-period comeback for a win in regulation were Carolina (0-13-2 when trailing after two) and Los Angeles (0-17-1). And the only team not to lose with a final-period lead remains Toronto, which is 19-0-0.Translation: Don’t leave early, because anything can and often does happen in the final period.“Fans are getting what they want,” joked Montreal forward Tomas Tatar said. “It’s got to be pretty intense for them.”These days and in this speedy version of the game, no lead seems out of reach. Take Tampa Bay on Saturday: Down a goal in the third against Montreal, Adam Erne tied it up and then scored the game-winner with 1:02 remaining.“There’s no more of sitting back and closing and trying to suffocate the other team www.officialislanders.com ,” Montreal coach Claude Julien said when his team was in Denver on Dec. 19. “It’s a skating game now. With the skating game that’s being allowed right now, there’s more offense being showcased.”Try sitting on the puck to protect a lead with the likes of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov or Nathan MacKinnon attempting to swipe it away.Good luck with that.“The league is just getting faster and faster, young guys are coming through the league and they’re really, really good skaters,” Tatar said. “It’s just a fast game. It’s faster than ever.”Not only that, but these youngsters don’t view things as erasing a deficit so much as an opportunity to crank up the intensity.“Everybody is good throughout the lineup,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “That makes it that much harder to put teams away. It goes to show how many good players there are in the league and how many game-changers there are, that can turn things around.”And no slashing. Or holding. Or hooking. Defensemen need to be on their best behavior.“Defensively speaking, when you can’t clutch and you can’t grab — it’s been that way for 10 years now — that really opens up the ice and allows guys to score,” Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole said. “The guys are as skilled as they’ve ever been. Every year, they’re more skilled and scoring more and more ridiculous highlight-reel goals. Guys are shooting from the goal-line and it’s going off the side of the goalie’s mask and in. Guys are doing stuff now that they haven’t done before — or doing it more often.“The skill level is as high as it’s ever been in the league.”Hence, the volume of comebacks. This also helps when down: A positive attitude.“You always have to believe. You can’t give up New York Islanders T-Shirts Authentic ,” Tatar said. “And you don’t have to. There’s a big chance you score one or two goals and you’re back in the game.”That was the case on Dec. 15 for Dallas, which fell behind the Avs 3-0 after one period and 4-2 after two. The Stars tied it up late in the final period before Colorado scored twice to earn the win.Nothing is easy.“I don’t feel comfortable with any lead until the buzzer sounds,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s a tribute to the talent around the league. When teams start feeling it, they start coming at you in waves, and it’s tough to defend.”That’s why the best defense is sometimes to remain on the offensive. Don’t sit back — keep striking.“We’re trying to stay aggressive,” Landeskog said. “The O-zone is the best place to play defense. At least, that’s the way we think about it. That’s easier said than done. The team that’s behind is always going to push.”THREE AMIGOSMikko Rantanen (17 goals, 45 assists) and MacKinnon (24 goals, 35 assists) get the lion’s share of the credit on the high-scoring top line for Colorado.Chalk up another assist for Rantanen, though, because he wanted to make sure Landeskog received full credit, too. Landeskog’s tied for the team lead with 24 goals.“He flies under the radar,” Rantanen said. “The way he plays the game is the right way always. That’s real fun to watch.”WINTER CLASSICThe 2020 Winter Classic will be held at the Cotton Bowl in Texas. Dallas will host the 12th edition of the NHL’s annual outdoor game on New Year’s Day against an opponent yet to be determined. Commissioner Gary Bettman also said the Heritage Classic will return on Oct. 26 when Winnipeg plays Calgary at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. In addition New York Islanders Hoodies Authentic , the NHL will bring an outdoor game to the Air Force Academy on Feb. 15, 2020, as part of the Stadium Series. Colorado will play a team not yet announced.LEADERS (through Monday)Points: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), 65; Goals: Alex Ovechkin (Washington), 29; Assists: Kucherov, 46; Game-winning goals: Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), 7; Rookie goals: Elias Pettersson (Vancouver), 19; Goals-against average: Robin Lehner (New York Islanders), 2.14; Shutouts: Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas), 5; Wins: Fleury, 22; Save percentage: Lehner, .930.GAME OF THE WEEKJohn Tavares leads Toronto against Minnesota on Thursday. Tavares is two goals shy of 300 for his career. He was the first overall pick by the New York Islanders in 2009.