Thompson extends point streak to 6 games, leads Sabres to 3rd straight win

Tage Thompson did not shy away from the importance of an October game against a division rival, with lessons of recent playoff pushes still fresh in his memory.

Thompson echoed what Lindy Ruff and Alex Tuch had said in the days leading up to their meeting against the Detroit Red Wings – these two points could matter in the long run, and the Sabres needed to play accordingly.

“I’ve been here a while now and we’ve been with a lot of the same guys,” Thompson said. “I think just that hunger to win – we’ve learned kind the hard way that these games in the beginning of the season, even though it’s a long season, they add up towards the end.”

Thompson continued to lead the way for the Sabres in a 5-3 win on Saturday afternoon, their third in a row. The victory propelled them ahead of the Red Wings in an Atlantic Division that at game’s end had a cluster of six teams within three points of one another atop the standings.

• Next home game: Monday vs. Florida

Thompson assisted on Jason Zucker’s power-play goal to open the scoring, then added two goals of his own to extend his point streak to six games. Bowen Byram and Jack Quinn scored their first goals of the season, Rasmus Dahlin had three assists, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves for his third straight victory.

Thompson finished the afternoon tied for first in the NHL with seven even-strength goals. Only Nikita Kucherov and Nico Hischier have more goals at all strengths, with eight apiece.

The 26-year-old, in his first season as an alternate captain, said his strong start is the result of an approach to play responsible, two-way hockey and trust that points will follow.

“I think just the desperation, coming into each night trying to will our team to win,” Thompson said. “Just trying to lead by example on both sides of the puck. Not really worrying about the goals or the points. Those things will take care of themselves as long as I’m doing things that are going to help our team win.”

The Sabres jumped on the Red Wings out of the gate, earning an 11-2 shot advantage through the first nine minutes and an early power play when Quinn drew a hooking penalty against Marco Kasper. Thompson sent a loud one-timer on the ensuing power play off the pad of Detroit goaltender Alex Lyon, creating the rebound for Zucker to score the game’s first goal.

At 104.69 mph, Thompson’s one-timer was the hardest shot recorded by NHL Edge since tracking began in 2021-22.

Thompson added his first goal to increase the Sabres’ lead to 2-0 with eight minutes remaining in the period, the result of a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Dahlin and JJ Peterka. He scored again three minutes into the second period on a shot from the high slot, once again fed by Dahlin.

"When you see our best player dominates the game, he gives us confidence,” Dahlin said.

The Sabres finished the game with lopsided advantages in shot attempts (22-5) and scoring chances (11-2) when Thompson was on the ice at 5-on-5, a credit to the continued dominance of his line with Peterka and Alex Tuch. Peterka has six points in five games since returning from a concussion while Tuch once again ranks toward the top of the league in takeaways.

“I think every team almost has that line that they go to,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “And it’s such a comfort to put that line out the way they’re playing. I mean, offensively playing really good, but defensively doing a really good job.”

The rest of the Sabres have followed suit, and it’s translated to results. The Sabres are now 4-1-1 since dropping their first three games of the season.

“We’ve been playing some really good hockey from the start of the season,” Thompson said. “Obviously, we had a couple ones we’d like to have back, but 82 games, long season, you get into a rhythm and start stringing some wins together, it’s a big thing for us.”

Here’s more from the win over Detroit.

1. The Sabres dominated the first period in terms of shots and built an early two-goal lead, but the Red Wings – who entered the afternoon on their own three-game winning streak – did not go quietly.

Detroit tied the score 3-3 following second-period goals from Michael Rasmussen and Lucas Raymond, the latter of which came on a shorthanded breakaway.

The Sabres responded with Byram’s goal to permanently regain the lead with 4:06 left in the period. It was once again the result of presence in front of the opposing goal – a theme so far this season – as Byram banked a shot off of traffic while Quinn and Jiri Kulich battled in front.

The Red Wings threatened to come back with their goalie pulled late – a bounce to Patrick Kane resulted in an attempt that hit the post – but Quinn scored an empty-net goal from his own end to ice the victory.

“We find ways to close games now and we play a full 60,” Dahlin said. “The third period, when we have the lead, we’re good at closing games right now. I think that’s what helps us. It’s nice getting a power-play goal today.”

2. Ruff promised during his postgame press conference on Tuesday that the Sabres would eventually break their 0-for-22 streak on the power play to open the season. His comment was made in jest, but it spoke to the improvement the unit had made in recent games in terms of chances generated.

They scored on their first chance of the game Saturday, which doubled as Zucker’s first goal with the Sabres.

“He's a veteran guy and I think his hockey sense is off the charts,” Thompson said of Zucker. “Getting him out there is big for us in terms of retrieving pucks. He reads the play very well, so he knows where to pop into those little pockets for support and he can score. He can finish plays off and you saw that tonight. He’s a big piece of our team and a big piece of that power play."

Ruff revisited his comment from two nights ago after the game.

“I told you guys, by the end of the year, (the scoreless streak) would be gone,” Ruff said. “And I kept my promise.”

3. The Sabres finished the game with 15 blocked shots, including one that saw Beck Malenstyn drop to the ice and stop an attempt from point-blank range in the dying seconds of the first period.

Tuch, Connor Clifton, and Dylan Cozens all added blocks during the final minutes of the game.

“I’ve talked to the team about building an identity,” Ruff said. “You just can’t have one. You have to build one. Part of that identity is what Beck did at the end of the first, what two or three players did at the end of the third when it was 5-on-6. It’s a mentality that we’ll do almost everything to win a hockey game, and we’re going to do it from game on right through day 82.”

Up next

The homestand continues Monday against the Florida Panthers. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.