Thompson was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time, recognition for one of the best first halves in the NHL. He is tied for fourth in the league with 34 goals and ranks eighth with 68 points.
Thompson said he dealt with his upper-body injury for a few days prior to the game against the Hurricanes before a flare-up convinced him to shut it down during the second intermission. Rasmus Dahlin agreed to attend All-Star Weekend as his replacement later that night.
"It kind of sucks you didn't get to go," Thompson said. "It is what it is and, obviously, I think the most important thing is getting healthy for the rest of the season and being able to help our team win. I figured that was the right decision and hopefully they'll be some opportunities in the future for that."
Granato commended both Thompson for making a team-first decision and Dahlin for stepping in to represent Buffalo on one of the NHL's big stages.
"He knows that by going to that event he's representing the Sabres and Sabres fans and instantly he knew, 'OK, I have to do this. I have an obligation to do this,'" Granato said regarding Dahlin. "… He represented us well, obviously. He's a great person, a great personality and we all knew he was an All-Star anyway, so I think it worked out for him.
"I think Tage, he was bummed he couldn't go but it was impressive on his side that it was like, 'OK, I can't go, I wish I could have,' but the priority was being ready for our remaining games. So for him it was like, 'No big deal. It'd be fun to go down there, but the real thing is winning games.'"
Here are more notes from Friday's practice.
1. Tyson Jost was back on the ice after missing practice on Thursday with an illness. Here's how the group lined up:
| February 10 |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 22 Jack Quinn |
| 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 17 Tyson Jost | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | |
| 38 Kale Clague | | |
2.The Sabres return from the break Saturday against the Flames at 12:30 p.m. The team will celebrate Sabretooth's Birthday, the first of three "Sabretooth Series" afternoon games between now and the end of the season. Read more on the afternoon here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 12 p.m. The puck drops at 12:30.g
