Thompson sustained his injury after colliding with Timo Meier during the first period of Buffalo's win against New Jersey on March 24. He returned early in the second period and finished the game, then - after missing part of warmups to receive treatment - played the following night in a win on Long Island.
"That was a tough one coming off a game the night before," Thompson said. "I felt pretty sore going into that game. That was kind of one where you're just trying to grind it out and, I think, probably wasn't the smartest thing maybe. But it was what I felt I wanted to do at the time."
Thompson said resting this past week has allowed him to make strides in his recovery. The Sabres earned points in three straight games in his absence, with Casey Mittelstadt plugging in at center between Skinner and Tuch and recording six assists.
"I think it just got to a point where it was hindering me too much to where I couldn't really play my game and be effective," Thompson said. "So, I figured it was time to take some time and get healthy so we could be healthy for the last push here. I think it was probably a smart approach."
Here are more notes from practice on Monday.
1. Here's how the Sabres lined up:
| April 3, 2023 |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 22 Jack Quinn |
| 12 Jordan Greenway | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 17 Tyson Jost / 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| | | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 27 Devon Levi |
| 61 Riley Stillman | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 38 Kale Clague | 78 Jacob Bryson | |
2. The Sabres are back in the thick of the Wild Card race after going 4-0-1 in their last five games, setting up an important matchup with the Panthers in Sunrise.
The Islanders (87 points, four games remaining) and Penguins (86 points, five games remaining) currently occupy the two Wild Card spots. The Panthers sit right behind them with 85 points and five games remaining.
The Sabres have 81 points, but with seven games left to play.
"That's exactly what you want is to be playing meaningful games at this point in the season," Thompson said. "We've been playing good hockey as of late, so I think it's exciting times. That's really all you can say about it, is just exciting to be in this position. It's a good challenge and something, I think, everyone in our locker room wants and is excited for."
3. Devon Levi worked in his own net while Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shared the other. Granato did not announce which goalie will start against the Panthers but said the objective Monday was to get Levi as many reps as possible as he acclimates to the NHL.
Levi made 31 saves in his NHL debut, a home win over the New York Rangers last Friday, and backed up Luukkonen in Philadelphia on Saturday.
"He's gonna stay ready," Granato said. "We gave him a lot of his own reps today in his own net today for that reason. Just stay ready. He needs a little more volume and repetition, and the other guys who are 70 games into a season and have faced it.
4. Levi said he would be excited to play against the Panthers, who drafted him during the seventh round in 2020. The Sabres acquired Levi from the Panthers the following summer along with a first-round pick (used to select Jiri Kulich) in exchange for Sam Reinhart.
"It would be fun to play in that building against the organization," he said. "Really good team also in the playoff push. So, yeah, that would be really cool."
