Thompson bests Boston with another hat trick, continues aiming higher

Tage Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres’ top goal scorer, took notice Sunday afternoon as Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record with career goal No. 895.

“It’s not human; especially in today’s game, it’s just beyond incredible,” Thompson said. “Woke up from my nap and was on social media, saw it all over the place. Unreal accomplishment, and to be able to say that I’m playing while it’s occurred is pretty special.”

Ovechkin’s 42nd placed him third in the NHL this season, but that didn’t last long. Sunday night at KeyBank Center, Thompson scored his second hat trick of the season, both versus Boston, as the Sabres beat the Bruins 6-3.

The game’s elites – pick a name: Ovechkin, Thompson, etc. – impose their will in the offensive end, and Thompson did just that, scoring in a fourth straight game as the Sabres won their fourth straight. He led all skaters in both shot attempts (11) and shots on net (6).

“That’s definitely something I try to do: hold onto pucks and use my size and my strength to create offense and find open guys, or create space for myself to get a shot,” he said. “Some games you feel pretty good, and I feel like I’ve been generating quite a bit of chances recently, and sometimes when you’re playing like that you just get some confidence.”

Confidence could – should, at least – be at an all-time high right now for Thompson, who’s totaled nine goals in his last seven games, 21 in his last 26 and 43 this season; he trails only Leon Draisaitl’s 52 and William Nylander’s 44.

“(He’s) 6-7 with the poise of a Norris candidate and the hands of a little skill guy,” Alex Tuch, who scored his 33rd of the season and added an assist, said of Thompson.

“He’s becoming a superstar and it’s awesome to see. It’s an everyday thing; it’s not just once in a while that he’s going to put up three, four goals. It’s an everyday thing where he’s going to be a threat every time he touches the puck and every time he’s on the ice. The other team definitely knows every time he’s out there.”

His first goal, 7:35 into the second period, narrowed Buffalo’s deficit to 2-1. Thompson cleaned up a rebound created by Zach Benson’s net-front involvement. He’s repeatedly called his 19-year-old linemate a “rat on the ice” and once again capitalized on Benson’s offensive-zone dirty work.

“I think it’s just will, determination,” Thompson said of Benson, who also assisted on goal No. 40 on Saturday. “He’s hungry for the puck, and he wanted it more than they did. I’m sitting there in the slot and it spits right out to me. Great battle by him – not just on that play, but all night.”

Thompson’s second goal came in the third period, a few minutes after Jason Zucker had given the Sabres a 4-3 lead. Owen Power outmuscled two Bruins to win a defensive-end board battle, and Jiri Kulich grabbed the loose puck. Thompson flew the zone, received Kulich’s stretch pass at center ice and sped in to beat Joonas Korpisalo with a backhand beauty.

That goal, and Thompson’s overall offensive excellence the past couple months, is partially attributable to his playing right wing. He's been afforded that luxury because rookie Jiri Kulich has risen to the task of first-line center.

“It’s freed [Thompson] up to take off,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. “You don’t get a breakaway like that if you’re playing center in your own end. There’s a lot of pluses to being on the wing, and Kuli’s done a really nice job (at center).”

The hat trick goal was an empty netter to secure the 6-3 final and a season-series victory (3-1-0) versus Boston.

Six games remain in the regular season. Thompson, who’s continued to exceed even his own lofty expectations, isn’t ruling out seven more goals to reach 50 for the first time in his career.

“I think when you set personal goals for yourself, once you hit them, you just keep adjusting them,” he said. “Obviously hit one of them the other night, and I just keep raising the bar and seeing how far [I] can go. It’s definitely a goal of mine, and we’ll see if I can get there.”

Here’s more from Buffalo’s 10th win in the last 14 games and sixth straight on home ice.

1. Boston’s first line got things started with first-period goals from Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie, both assisted by David Pastrnak. Buffalo couldn’t cash in on its early scoring opportunities, including two power plays, and committed 12 first-period giveaways.

“Puck management cost us – against the top line,” Ruff said, citing the same mistakes – overextending shifts and failing to get pucks deep – that have often hurt the Sabres this season. “The good part of that is that we were able to correct that and simplify the game, and we got rewarded for it. I thought, after the first period, we played a great game.”

In the final 40 minutes, Buffalo outscored the Bruins 6-1, outshot them 26-13 and led 54-25 in shot attempts. Along with Thompson and Tuch, each of Rasmus Dahlin (1+1), Bowen Byram (0+2) and Peyton Krebs (0+2) enjoyed multi-point nights.

Dahlin's goal, his 15th of the season, saw him drag the puck around defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, fire a shot on net and tie the game 3-3 with 1:29 remaining in the second period. The captain's 62 points (15+47) are tied with Evan Bouchard for fifth most among NHL blueliners.

2. That first-intermission turnaround greatly benefitted Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who made his first start since March 29 in Philadelphia. Luukkonen, who’s taken a backseat role to James Reimer in recent weeks, finished the night with 17 saves and snapped a personal two-game losing streak.

“Part of the first period is you’ve got to face an odd-numbered rush and you’ve got to face another backdoor play, and you’re just getting back into the net,” Ruff said. “I don’t think it’s fair for your goaltender who hasn’t played a lot – it was the same thing in Philly. But I thought they gave him the last 40 minutes that he needed. He made a couple good saves there.”

3. Buffalo’s fourth line, with Noah Ostlund – in his second NHL game – centering Beck Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty, was buzzing around the puck all night, and its numbers indicate as much. During that trio’s 9:24 of 5-on-5 ice time, the Sabres led 10-1 in shot attempts and 2-0 in shots on goal.

“I thought they were really, on a whole, the best line when it came to generating positive energy, getting the pucks in, creating opportunities,” Ruff said, praising Lafferty for his puck play, Malenstyn for his patented physicality and Ostlund for his defensive impact.

“Ostlund, when he’s defending, he hasn’t really made a mistake yet,” Ruff continued. “His reads have been good – he’s been good at being that second guy on the puck in our own zone, and he’s broke the puck out well.”

4. The Sabres played a video welcoming back defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who the Bruins acquired prior to last month’s trade deadline. Playing his first game as a visitor at KeyBank Center, Jokiharju skated 20:03 and logged his second assist since the trade.

Jokiharju played 351 games across six seasons in Buffalo.

Up next

Buffalo concludes its homestand Tuesday night versus Carolina. Tickets are available here.

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. ahead of puck drop at 7.