‘He’s a beast’ | Thompson-Krebs reunion sparks offensive outburst in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Death, taxes, and instant chemistry between Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs.

An injury to Konsta Helenius bumped Krebs to the first line Thursday in Anaheim. The result? A five-point night for Thompson and his 10th career hat trick, each goal assisted by Krebs, in a topsy-turvy, 7-6 Sabres win over the Ducks at Honda Center.

The Sabres (6-4-3) fell into an early hole before pulling off their fourth multi-goal comeback win of the season, holding on despite some anxious moments late. They’ve collected five of six possible points on this road trip, which wraps up Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.

This latest win featured No. 72 at his absolute best.

“That big frame of his, it’s hard to defend. When he’s moving his feet, driving the puck, getting it to the net, it’s fun to watch,” Krebs said. “He was due for one of those nights, and it came tonight."

“He’s a beast. It was only a matter of time, obviously, right?,” echoed Zach Benson. “He can score goals, that’s for sure, so when he gets hot, he’s hot.”

Thompson’s first one tied it 3-3 late in a wild opening period. Krebs backhanded a perfect stretch pass to Benson at the offensive blue line. Benson touched it into space for Thompson, who sped into the zone, around Ducks defenseman Tristan Luneau and to the net.

The game remained tied through most of the second despite an onslaught of Sabres scoring chances. Buffalo was cycling the puck with ease, intercepting Anaheim’s clearing attempts and forcing goalie Ville Husso to make some big saves. Eventually, Thompson scored the go-ahead goal directly off a Krebs faceoff win.

That line stayed on the ice, and he completed the hat trick just 15 seconds later. Krebs lost the faceoff but retrieved the puck, and Rasmus Dahlin sent Thompson racing in on a breakaway. He beat Husso five-hole, and a handful of hats trickled down from the Anaheim crowd.

“Some games, you get a lot of chances and they all go in for you,” said Thompson, who attempted five total shots. “Felt like tonight was one of those games.”

Ten hat tricks rank second leaguewide since 2021-22, trailing only Auston Matthews’ 11. Only Rick Martin (21) and Gilbert Perreault (18) have more hat tricks in Sabres history. And a couple power-play assists gave Thompson his fourth career five-point game, also among the franchise leaders.

Factor in three points apiece for Krebs (0+3) and Benson (1+2), and it amounted to a dominant night for the top line. They were on the ice together for four Sabres goals, zero Ducks ones, and an 8-2 edge in scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.

“Tonight, I really wanted to make an impact, really play a good defensive game for those two to shine. And I think I did pretty good at that,” said Krebs, whose three assists included two from the Buffalo zone. “It was nice to get back at center and use my engine in the D zone, get pucks up to those two and just create some offense for them. I wanted to have a big night and show them I can play wherever – and really well.”

Linemate chemistry doesn’t happen overnight. Thompson and Krebs played nearly 700 minutes together last season, including playoffs, with Buffalo outscoring the competition 45-28. But as Thompson explained postgame Thursday, teammates can strengthen that connection off the ice, too.

“He’s always trying to get better, he’s always learning,” Thompson said. “I feel like we talk quite a bit off the ice, just about different things we see in the game. Watch clips together sometimes, and he’s always asking, (in) situations, where I’m gonna be or where to go, just trying to get a feel for that. And that’s something I think we’ve developed over the years.”

Helenius’ injury was unfortunate, especially as the second-year forward was beginning to find his footing. But the circumstances gave Krebs a great opportunity and the Sabres their best offensive showing of the season to date.

“Tommer is one of my best buddies on the team,” Krebs said. “I think when you play with those guys, you want them to have success, both ways, and you’re always looking for each other.

“I just want to continue to get him pucks, because it seems to get you assists – and win hockey games.”

Trouble early, quick recovery, more trouble late

The Sabres’ knack for comebacks was put to the test early, as consecutive penalties had them trailing 2-0 just three minutes in. Ducks captain Mikael Granlund scored 5-on-3 on a between-the-legs tip, then Cutter Gauthier capitalized on the leftover 5-on-4.

“We knew they were going to be a desperate team. They’ve got good power-play guys,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “And what do we do right off the start? We hand them a 5-on-3. We’ve got to be better than that.”

Buffalo then scored seven of the game’s next eight goals, starting with a great shift by the fourth line – Sam Carrick returned to the lineup from injury – and a one-timer goal from Tyson Kozak.

A 7-3 cushion (the Sabres’ first of three or more goals this season) didn’t last long. Anaheim scored three unanswered, including 6-on-5 goals with 1:08 and 0:31 remaining, to give themselves a chance. It took a desperation save by Colten Ellis on Jackson LaCombe on the doorstep, with 22 seconds left, to close out the win.

The desperate Ducks applied heavy pressure and registered 16 shots in the third period, as the Sabres made too many plays to fuel their late attack – including a penalty that started the comeback bid.

“All you need to do is concentrate on playing good defense, and you’re going to get more offense. Your rush coverage, read where guys are going – we’re better than that, and we gave up a couple goals there,” Ruff said. “I know they’ve got an extra guy on the ice, but if positioning were sound – and we’ve worked hard at this part of the game and going to continue to work on it – the pieces should be there to make them earn a bigger goal than they got.”

Ellis finished with 28 saves for his second consecutive win. His best work came earlier in the game with the Sabres down or tied – a breakaway stop on Jeff Malott when trailing 2-0, for one.

Puck luck on the PP

Any good man advantage benefits from some bounces, and the Sabres got them for their fifth and sixth power-play goals of the season.

With Buffalo down 3-1 in the first, Benson’s bumper one-timer redirected off LaCombe’s skate and straight to a wide-open Noah Östlund, who buried his fourth goal of the season. And in the third, Jack Quinn extended the lead to 6-3 with his seventh goal: a centering pass off LaCombe (again) and in.

“If you get the puck going towards the net, you’re going to get some puck luck,” Ruff said. “There’s times we’re a little bit hesitant to throw pucks to net. We got the bounces we needed, for sure.”

Postgame sound

Up next

The Sabres wrap up their trip Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT against the Los Angeles Kings. This one’s back on MSG, with pregame coverage starting at 3:30.