Thompson, Peterka each has hat trick, assist for Sabres in win against Bruins

BUFFALO -- Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka each scored a hat trick and had an assist for the Buffalo Sabres in a 7-2 win against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

Thompson got his 7th NHL hat trick, Peterka his first.

“We’re at our best when we’re moving our feet,” Thompson said. “Both of us have the ability to slow the game down and hold onto pucks, but I think we’re both at our best when we’re pushing things north and supporting, skating to each other, creating little 2-on-1s on the ice. And I thought tonight was a good example of that, just in the rush.

“I can’t mention how important it is to have our [defensemen] be involved in the rush. Just opens up so much more. … And obviously [Jiri Kulich] too, he’s been great at finding those pockets. Those open up the more you get guys involved. I think that’s been a big key to both of our success, and a lot of guys in this room’s success, is getting our [defensemen] involved.”

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for the Sabres (19-26-5), who had lost four of their previous five games.

“We’ve said through all of these, even in a lot of the disappointments, we’re in this thing together. I said I’m at the forefront,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “There’s a lot of different things we’ve tried that I think we’re finally getting a benefit from.”

David Pastrnak had an assist to extend his point streak to eight games for the Bruins (25-21-6), who had won three of four. Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves.

“The way we managed the game tonight, didn’t like the way that we managed it,” Boston coach Joe Sacco said. “You’re going to make mistakes in hockey, they happen in the course of a game, but it’s how we respond right after those mistakes. … A couple of goals that we scored, they come out and they respond right away. We have to better than that that next shift. I would say game management probably was the most disappointing thing here tonight.”

Mason Lohrei gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 12:44 of the first period, beating Luukkonen from the left circle with a snap shot that hit the bottom of the goalie’s glove and landed in the far corner.

Thompson’s one-timer from the top of the slot tied it 1-1 at 13:39. His shot hit 102.28 miles per hour, the second-hardest goal in the NHL this season after his 103.7 mph effort on Jan. 6 against the Washington Capitals.

“The goals are great, the response is great,” Thompson said. “I think right after a team scores, that’s the most important shift of the game. That can dictate the outcome of the game. We’ve been on the other side of it where they score and they turn it into another one and it deflates you. So we know how important those shifts are.”

He made it 2-1 Buffalo when he finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from the bottom of the left circle at 4:43 of the second period.

Peterka’s wrist shot from the left circle beat Swayman far top corner to push it to 3-1 at 6:32.

Thompson completed his hat trick at 3:13 of the of the third period, scoring top corner short side from the top of the right circle for a 4-1 lead.

Brad Marchand narrowed it to 4-2 for Boston on the power play at 10:13 with a snap shot from the right circle. Pastrnak had the secondary assist, giving him 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) on his eight-game run.

Peterka made it 5-2 30 seconds later at 10:43 when he pushed through the Bruins’ defensemen and scored blocker side from in front.

“I saw [the defenseman] crossing over, going to ‘Tommer’, and so I just tried to go there somehow and happy it worked out,” Peterka said.

He completed his hat trick to make it 6-2 with an empty-net goal at 14:26.

Zach Benson deflected Jack Quinn's shot on the power play at 19:47 for the 7-2 final.

“We’re obviously desperate right now and we can’t afford to have games like this where we’re not prepared,” Marchand said. “We need every point. They’re a better team than what their record shows. We can’t take that team lightly, they’re extremely skilled and some of the most talented players in the League. You need to come prepared to play and ready to compete harder than that.”

NOTES: Pastrnak’s assist was his 787th NHL point, moving him past David Krejci for ninth in Bruins history. … It’s the 13th time in Sabres history that multiple players got a hat trick in the same game, and the first since Derek Roy and Drew Stafford did so on Jan. 18, 2008. … It was the first time in the 2024-25 NHL season that one team has had multiple hat tricks. There were two instances last season (Minnesota Wild, Feb. 19, 2024; St. Louis Blues, Nov. 11, 2023).