'That’s all he cares about, is winning’: Tage Thompson’s hat trick paces Sabres in win against Montreal
Maybe the presence of alumni from the 2005-06 Buffalo Sabres brought out the best in Tage Thompson on Thursday night at KeyBank Center. Maybe he shrugged off a lot of
Maybe the presence of alumni from the 2005-06 Buffalo Sabres brought out the best in Tage Thompson on Thursday night at KeyBank Center. Maybe he shrugged off a lot of physical and psychological prodding by the Montreal Canadiens in a game that began at a high scoring pace and turned into a parade of hits.
Literally, the two teams combined for 47 hits.
Maybe Thompson was just so dead set on winning, knowing how valuable two points would be for his team against an Atlantic Division opponent.
Sabres center Tage Thompson scores in the first period of Thursday's game against the Canadiens at KeyBank Center.
Joed Viera, Buffalo News
Or maybe Thompson is just that good. He scored three goals – his first hat trick of the season – and added two assists in a 5-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
“We knew coming into this game, it’s a big one,” said Thompson, who has 25 goals this season. “We play them three times this month, and the East is so tight, so every divisional game means so much to us. We were ready to go, right from the start. The intensity in our group, right now, is at an all-time high."
Thompson’s first goal tied the score at 1-1, a power-play goal at 4:05 of the first. His second goal, at 5:12 of the third, broke a 3-3 tie, a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Josh Doan, who took the puck out of reach of Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson to set up the goal.
Then, with 1:40 left in regulation and Montreal goalie Jacob Fowler pulled for a sixth skater, Thompson completed his ninth career hat trick with an empty-net goal.
“It was a night that it looked like anything he was going to shoot was probably going to go in,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.
That intensity Thompson mentioned? He’s only fed off that as of late.
Thompson has five goals and seven assists in a six-game scoring streak. He’s also riding the crest of a wave that comes from being named to the United States Olympic men’s hockey team.
“He’s a gamer,” right wing Alex Tuch said. “He’s going to rise. He can play any type of game that we need. He wants to win. Each and every day, he comes in and works his ass off, and that’s all he cares about, is winning. And he puts in the work. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, and he rises to the occasion.”
Staying composed
The Sabres and Canadiens combined for four goals in the first 15 minutes of a game that grew more physical as it went on. It started with Arber Xhekaj’s hit from behind on Jason Zucker midway through the second period to a tussle between Justin Greenway and Brendan Gallagher about seven minutes into the third.The Sabres, though, weren’t going to let the game turn into a track meet or a street fight. And, as Thompson mentioned, they will face the Canadiens two more times in the next three weeks: Jan. 22 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and Jan. 31 at KeyBank Center.
“We have a skill set in this locker room, to match any other, in a game like that,” Tuch said. “We also have the commitment and the structure to lock it down, when need be, too, to get out of that track meet and to make it hard on the opposition. That’s what we did tonight.”
Powered up
The Sabres’ power-play proficiency continued Thursday against the Canadiens. Their first two goals came on the power play – Thompson’s first, then Doan’s at 10:30 of the first – and the Sabres were 2 for 4 on the man-advantage against Montreal.They’re 4 for 10 over two games (2 for 6 Wednesday against Philadelphia), after ending a 1-for-22 drought in the previous 10 games.
“Our power play was buzzing,” Tuch said. “A lot of opportunities. I could have had a couple more tonight. It’s good to see 'Doaner' with a heck of a play, 'Tommer', a great shot. Everybody was rolling and we were feeling it, and they were feeling it, and we looked really good, too.”
Injury update
The Sabres announced Thursday before the game that center Josh Norris is day-to-day after sustaining an injury to his ribs in a 5-2 win Wednesday against Philadelphia. Norris did not play against Montreal, and Ruff said after the game that Norris continues to be evaluated.“We really don’t have a definitive, exactly, the amount of time it’s going to be,” Ruff said. “I’ll leave it as day-to-day.”
The Sabres activated defenseman Michael Kesselring from injured reserve, but he did not immediately return to the lineup after reinjuring a high left ankle sprain Dec. 31 at Dallas.
Josh Dunne (middle-body injury) has been placed on injured reserve, and the Sabres recalled Konsta Helenius from Rochester of the American Hockey League. Helenius was the Sabres' first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft. He has nine goals and 21 assists in 34 games, and this will be his first call-up to the NHL.
Zucker went to the locker room in obvious pain after the second-period collision with Xhekaj, who hit him from behind inside the blue line. Zucker returned in the third period.
“I thought it was purposeful accidental (hit), if you want to analyze it that way,” Ruff said of Xhekaj’s hit. “He knew what he was doing and he got him pretty good, but he’ll be sore tomorrow. But I think when you win, it makes you feel a little bit better.”