'One of those nights' | Thompson makes history with 6-point outing

Tage Thompson described his career-best performance not as a momentary stroke of brilliance, but as a product of consistency.
Thompson scored a hat trick as part of a six-point outing during the Sabres' 8-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. He is only the sixth Sabres player to score six points in a game, the first since Pat LaFontaine in 1993 - four years before Thompson was born.
And yet, there was no "in-the-zone" feeling to speak of. No special breakfast, no Halloween magic.
Thompson made history by simply staying the course.
"I think hockey's so weird," he said afterward. "You can have a game just like that and none of them will go in for you. I mean, last few games I think we've been getting a lot of chances. Tonight was just one of those nights when everything seemed to be going in for us.
"I think you just play the game the same way regardless of the outcome. I think that's something that everyone in this room prides themselves on."

Thompson showed the world his unique talent last season, when - at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds - he blended his power-forward size, reach, and shot with the hands and mobility of a smaller centerman en route to a breakout 38-goal, 68-point season. He was rewarded with a seven-year contract extension.
He opened this season with the same eye-grabbing play, but - though he contributed to wins with his passing and forechecking - only had one goal to show for it entering Saturday's game against Chicago. Sabres coach Don Granato reminded him to stick with his game and trust results would follow.
Thompson delivered a second straight eight-shot performance in that game against the Blackhawks, which saw him kick down the floodgates with a pair of goals that erased a 3-1 deficit during the third period of what ended as an overtime win.
"I've coached for too many years to count," Granato, a believer in Thompson since their days together at with U.S. National Team Development Program, said.
"You see ahead of time how these guys are getting and feeling their game, finding a rhythm as I've talked about a lot. There's certain signs that point to inevitability. They're going to score, they're going to be successful by the work they put in, by the confidence they gain and the rhythm they gain."
The rhythm carried over to Monday. Thompson attempted 14 shots, nine of which went on goal. He showed his full package of abilities - a hard one-time goal from the circle; a dynamic toe-drag to the slot; quick passes through traffic to set up teammates.
"I think when he gets going like that, it's tough for teams," his linemate Jeff Skinner said. "They've got to respect his shot. They've got to respect his size, obviously, and that opens up space for everyone around him. He's a guy who can sort of take over a game and dominate. He did that tonight."
Thompson now has nine points - five goals and four assists - over the last two games. There are too many points of historical significance to list in a sentence, so here they are in bullets:
• Thompson had the 11th six-point game in Sabres history, joining Gilbert Perreault (four times, including one franchise-record seven-point game), Dave Andreychuk, Andre Savard, Jim Lorentz, and LaFontaine (three times).
• Thompson recorded a point on eight straight goals by the Sabres dating back to Saturday, the second player in franchise history to accomplish that feat (the other being LaFontaine in 1992-93).
• Thompson scored the 22nd Halloween hat trick in NHL history and the first since Michael Frolik in 2015.
• Thompson has 12 points this season (6+6), tied with Rasmus Dahlin for the team lead.
When informed of the names he was now associated with, Thompson smiled and admitted the feeling was special. But he had no plans to celebrate.
Consistency got him here. It will carry him forward.
"I think one of the keys is to probably not get too high," he said. "Same thing if you have a bad game, you don't want to get too low. You try to stay even keel and just kind of keep doing what you've been doing. That's the mindset I'm going to stick with going forward."

We haven't even mentioned Jeff Skinner's 300th goal - or Jack Quinn's breakout game, or the significance of a resilient third period against an Atlantic Division rival.
So, let's get to it. Here's the breakdown of a memorable Halloween in Buffalo.

How it happened

PERIOD 1
Thompson put the Sabres on the board with 3:08 remaining in the opening period. He buried a shot from the left faceoff circle, concluding a dominant shift in the Red Wings' end that lasted 1:14 and featured multiple in-zone line changes.

The Sabres finished the period with decisive edges in shots (14-6), shot attempts (21-7), and scoring chances (5-3), according to Natural Stat Trick.
PERIOD 2
Buffalo once again controlled the period from a shots standpoint (15-9), but Detroit bookended the period with a pair of goals from Olli Maatta and David Perron to enter the second intermission trailing 4-2.
Between those Red Wings goals were three scored by the Sabres, fueled in large part by the dominant play of Thompson. He found Quinn in front of the net for a one-time goal at 5:22:

He made the quick feed from the corner to find Skinner alone in front of the Detroit net:

And, finally, he toe-dragged to the slot on the power play for his second goal of the game:

PERIOD 3
Dylan Larkin scored a shorthanded goal to cut the Sabres' lead to 4-3 just 4:19 into the period.
The Sabres reasserted their control of the game with a pair of goals scored 1:54 apart in the back half of the period. Dahlin struck first on the power play, sending his sixth goal of the season in off the leg of a Red Wings defender.

Dylan Cozens followed suit with a shot on the rush, his fourth of the season.

With 4:02 to play, Thompson completed the hat trick. Rasmus Asplund added an eighth goal, putting the finishing touches on a dominant response from the Sabres.

"Last season maybe we would have gotten a little nervous in that situation and I think we look up and down the bench, I don't think anyone's nervous," Thompson said. "They get a little bit of a push there in the third, we're really calm on the bench and we just stick to our game. I think we just know if we do that we're going to win."

What we learned

1. Skinner became the 22nd active player and the 212th in NHL history to hit the 300-goal milestone.
"It means I've been around a while, I guess," he said. "But I think for me, you're not going to score goals unless you've got five guys on the same page out there. Obviously it means that you had some good chemistry with guys over the years."

2. On the very next shift following his goal, Quinn delivered a rousing hip check on Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond in the neutral zone.

Quinn finished the night with three shots in 13:32, continuing a promising trend for the rookie since he sat out a pair of games in Western Canada.
"He looks way more confident than he did his first couple games," Granato said pregame. "We just talked about it even watching him in the morning skate. He's up on his skates, he's more attentive and as a result you see the skill, the talent coming out. So yes, he has made immense strides in the last couple weeks."
3. Tonight's game is the first time the Sabres have scored eight or more goals since they scored nine against Ottawa on November 3, 2018. That was the night Jason Pominville was honored for playing his 1,000th NHL game.
4.Dahlin, with a goal and an assist, reclaimed sole possession of first place among NHL defensemen with 12 points through nine games. Erik Karlsson is second with 11 points in 11 games.
5.We asked you on Twitter to describe Thompson's performance with a Halloween GIF. Some of the spookiest replies:

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Up next

The homestand concludes Wednesday night against Pittsburgh. Tickets are available here.
The game will be nationally televised on TNT. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550 with puck drop scheduled for 7:30.
Buffalo will debut their new Reverse Retro jerseys.