Thompson ‘fighting it’ as playoff struggles continue in Game 2 loss

BUFFALO – Everywhere in Game 2, disaster was befalling Tage Thompson.

The star forward for the Buffalo Sabres was making wrong decisions, unable to settle the puck on his stick, falling at the offensive blue line on the back-breaking goal in a 5-1 loss at KeyBank Center on Friday.

“Just fighting it tonight,” Thompson said, sitting dejectedly in his dressing room stall. “The puck bounces every time I touch it; just can’t get a handle on it and it ends up in the back of your net. I just have to be better.”

Nobody in blue and yellow was good in a game in which the Sabres could have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round. Instead, the series is 1-1 heading into Game 3 at Bell Centre on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN) and the Canadiens now have home-ice advantage in the series.

But nobody was as bad as Thompson, who has been in a slump. He hasn’t scored since striking twice in Game 1 of the first round. Seven games, 20 shots on goal and not a single red lamp for a top-line forward who scored 40 goals in the regular season.

The numbers are worse after 120 minutes against the Canadiens. One shot on goal and minus-5 for the series; minus-4 in Game 2.

Yes, those numbers are awful. The eye test was worse.

Alex Newhook opened the scoring 1:36 into the game when the Sabres didn’t make the simple play at their blue line and turned it over. Several seconds later, Newhook tipped a shot that trickled past goalie Alex Lyon. Thompson was just streaming back into the play after chasing a big hit along the boards. 

On Newhook’s second goal, at 4:47 of the second, Thompson was caught deep in the attacking zone when the Sabres broke on the transition and had a 2-on-1 which Newhook finished to make it 3-0.

But, it was the goal at 3:54 of the third that was the dagger.

Buffalo’s Zach Benson had scored in the last minute of the second to make it 3-1 and the home crowd had visions of a third-period comeback like the one in Game 1 against Boston, one in which Thompson played a key role.

Instead, Thompson tumbled at the attacking blue line, turning over the puck and springing a 2-on-1 the other way.

“Lost my balance, caught in between decisions on what I was going to do with the puck,” Thompson said. “Lost my edge and it ends up in the back of our net.”

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier lugged it up the ice, entertained a pass and then made a perfect shot, over the shoulder of Lyon and under the crossbar for a 4-1 lead. Thompson skated by the goal as the Canadiens celebrated, breaking his stick against the goal post in a fit of pique.

Game over.

“I think everything we touched turned into disaster,” Thompson said.

What now for Thompson, who is clearly fighting it?

He’s trying. Maybe too hard at times. He had six hits in the game, chasing momentum but putting himself out of position. 

“Just try to forget about it as quick as possible,” Thompson said. “Get excited for the next game. Try to look at the positives, the position we are in.

“When you look at the big picture, we are 1-1 going into Montreal. Not a horrible place to be by any means. Same place we were in (the Boston series). We just got to go do a job in Montreal.”

Zoom in to the smaller picture and they have to do that job with their top goal-scorer not scoring and fighting the puck.

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff is staying positive. He points to the gold medal Thompson won in February with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as the gold he won a year ago at the World Championship. He looks at the body of work Thompson has. He’s scored 40 or more goals in three of the past four seasons.

He believes good times are coming for his star player. He has to.

“I think every good player that I have ever been around expects a real high level of play out of themselves,” Ruff said. “All the best players I have been around know how to flush that and get ready for the next game.

“He has to put that away. He’s not the only player. His game probably stood out because of a couple of the big goals against.”

Nobody is worried about Thompson, even as they watched him silently beat himself up during and after the game.

“He’s such a pro,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “Everyone has bad games. I’m sure tomorrow he will come to work and grind. He is probably going to be our best player next game. I am not worried at all.”

Benson, who scored Buffalo’s only goal and was in the middle of the limited good stuff for the Sabres on Friday, went even further.

“There is a reason he is so good,” Benson said. “He’s hard on himself, but so is every top player, He’ll bounce back. Obviously, he probably wants a play back. I mean, he’s an elite player for a reason. He is going to be real, real good next game, I can guarantee that.”