It was billed as a battle between wunderkinds, No. 1 against No. 2,the one the hockey world was waiting for since June 26. Rarely does a March matchup between two bottom-feeding teams carry so much hype. Twenty Ken Griffey Jersey -two seconds intoConnorMcDavidvs. JackEichel, Episode I, it was evident why. MORE: | McDavid, the Oilers' rookie sensation, bookendedhis team's 2-1 overtime victory over Eichel's Sabreson Tuesday with a pair of nifty goals that made clear the reasons hewas selected first and Eichel second in last year's draft. The first, barely following the game's opening faceoff, saw McDavidcapitalize on a Sabres turnover, dekedivinggoalie Robin Lehnerside to side, and burya backhander into thewide-open net. It happened so quickly, it seemed the first game between the stud rookies could exceed expectations. Welp, it took McDavid 22 seconds to find the net. NHL (@NHL) But Eichel, who was not on the ice for thegoal, did his part in helping the Sabres keep McDavid in check. He showed off his all-around game, won a few keyfaceoffs (some against McDavid) and unloaded five shots. "I thought 15 (Eichel) and 97 (McDavid) were probably the two best players on the ice tonight," Oilers coach Todd McLellan told reporters after the game. "They didn't disappoint." SamReinhart, the second overall pick (by Buffalo) in the 2014 draft, aka the forgotten rookie, set up the Sabres' tying score at 9:06 of the third period. Reinhart'sno-look spin-o-rama pa s cleared to the front of a wide-open net onto the stick of Cal O'Reilly, who buried the goal that eventually forced the extra frame. MORE: That's when McDavid, who'd taken a back seat to Eichel for much of the season by virtue of his three-month IR stint, made up for lost time. With a little over a minute to play, McDavid gathered a loose puck from his own end and took off down the right boards. Known for his speed, he turned on the jets and turnstyleddefensemanRasmus Ristolainen just enough to put the puck on net. It trickled through Lehner's pads, and McDavid had scored his first overtime goal as a pro. It was fitting it came in this game, of course the first time McDavid and Eichel have gone head to head since the World Junior Championships in 2014. Their scheduledmeeting earlier this season was thwarted because ofMcDavid's broken collarbone, and Eichel had claimed much of the rookie spotlight since. McDavid has recaptured the imaginations of hockey fans since his three-point return Feb. 3, and he now has 12 goals and 31 points in 28 games 36 games fewer than Eichel, who has17 goals and 41 points. The Oilers, though,are 29th in the NHL,and the Sabres are just three points ahead in 26th. There will be many more showdownsto come, but the record showsRound 1, however meaningle s, went to McDavid. Dave Concepcion Jersey