Thompson's 4 goals lift Sabres over Devils

Devon Levi possesses a unique perspective on Tage Thompson, having faced the Buffalo Sabres forward regularly in practice since entering the league last March.

“He’s got a rocket,” Levi said. “It’s hard to see. He changes the angle really well. He pulls it. He’s an elite scorer.”

Thompson had been one of the Sabres’ most consistent presences down the stretch entering Friday, having tallied four goals and 10 points in the last nine games while setting the tone with his simple, workmanlike habits alongside linemates Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka.

Those habits paid off against the New Jersey Devils. Thompson scored a hat trick to put the Sabres in front after trailing 2-0 in the first period, then scored into an empty net to complete a four-goal performance in what would end as a 5-2 win at KeyBank Center.

“I think goals are … a byproduct of doing the right things,” Thompson said. “I feel like throughout the course of the season I’ve had a lot of great chances and maybe been snakebit at times and maybe let that get to me a little bit.

“Obviously when one or two start to go in for you, that confidence starts to come back. So, it was nice to have a game like this and get a few and obviously the win is most important. I think that gets everyone in the room feeling good.”

The Sabres found themselves in a similar position to Wednesday, when they fell behind 4-0 in the first 10 minutes of a loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Devils scored three minutes in on a deflection from Max Willman that bounced in off Rasmus Dahlin, then doubled their lead at the 10:31 mark when Jesper Bratt received a bounce and scored from in front of the net.

The Sabres weathered the remainder of the first period, including a pair of penalties that overlapped for 26 seconds of 5-on-3 play. They returned to the locker room and spoke about not letting goals compound, as they had against the Senators, and instead grinding until they received their own chances.

“It would have been easy to kind of just fold the tent and pack in and I thought we responded the right way,” Thompson said. “I think that says a lot about the character in the room and the guys we’ve got here. So, it was nice to get that one. It feels really good.”

Thompson put the Sabres on the board just 28 seconds into the second period, picking up a loose puck in the neutral zone and snapping a shot past goaltender Jake Allen from the left faceoff circle. Devon Levi made crucial saves to hold the deficit at one until Thompson scored the tying goal with 2:31 left in the period, this one a shot wired from the slot after Peterka and Tuch pressured the Devils into a turnover.

The Sabres continued to apply their speed in the third period, generating multiple scoring chances on a long offensive shift that ended with an icing against the Devils. Coach Don Granato sent Thompson’s line over the boards to capitalize against a tired New Jersey unit.

Thompson completed his hat trick and scored the winning goal on that shift, cutting to the front of the New Jersey net and scoring on the rebound off a Rasmus Dahlin shot from the point.

Thompson’s empty-net goal made him the fourth active player with multiple four-goal games in his career, joining Alex Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar, and Nathan MacKinnon (according to NHL Public Relations). Ovechkin has accomplished the feat four times.

Thompson has six career hat tricks, tied for seventh in Sabres history and trailing only Rick Martin (21), Gilbert Perreault (18), Alexander Mogilny (10), Danny Gare (10), Dave Andreychuk (9), and Thomas Vanek (8).

“When he’s feeling it like that, I mean, he’s one of the best players in the world,” Tuch said. “I feel like he’s dominant out there and he just takes over games.”

But Thompson’s game went beyond his goals on Friday. The Sabres needed a simple approach to settle down after falling behind early. Granato credited Thompson with setting the tone in that respect, just as he has so often for the Sabres as of late.

“Thompson obviously scored, but he led the way,” Granato said. “He was solid even in the first period.”

Here’s more from the win over the Devils.

1. The victory was crucial for the Sabres in the standings, bringing them within six points of the Washington Capitals with eight games remaining. The Capitals have two games in hand, but the Sabres also have an opportunity to make up ground with two head-to-head meetings remaining.

The Sabres also climbed within a point of the Devils, who have played the same number of games.

2. Levi overcame two early goals against – one of which deflected off a teammate – to finish with 28 saves, including nine high-dangers stops, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Levi’s night included breakaway saves on Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes.

"It's two goals,” Levi said. “It is what it is and you move on. It's not the end of the game. I think it's easier to move on when you know that it was kind of a bad bounce. But, you know, the mentality is to try to kind of just stay even keeled regardless of how the goal goes in and just flip page and leave it in the past and look forward. “

3. The Sabres went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and did not allow a shot during the abbreviated 5-on-3 stretch for the Devils during the first period. Jordan Greenway (3:31), Connor Clifton (3:10), and Owen Power (3:06) led the way in shorthanded ice time.

4. Tuch earned a pair of assists to extend his point streak to seven games, with one goal and nine assists in that span. JJ Peterka scored an empty-net goal, his fifth goal in the past four games.

Peterka, 22, is the youngest Sabres player with goals in four consecutive games since Donald Audette in 1991.