The Buffalo Sabres are rolling into the week of Nov. 2-9 with a perfect California trip in the rearview mirror and Tage Thompson heating up at just the right time.
Buffalo wrapped up the road swing with wins in all three stops out west, starting with a 2-0 shutout over the San Jose Sharks behind Colten Ellis. From there, the Sabres outlasted the Anaheim Ducks in a 7-6 shootout-style barn burner, then closed the trip with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
The trip was powered by standout work from Ellis, Thompson, Jack Quinn and others, and the power play found its rhythm late, scoring four times over the final two games. That run also kept a strange little trend alive: over the last three seasons, the Sabres are 8-0-1 on their California road trips.
Thompson was the biggest individual story of the trip. He picked up an assist against San Jose, then exploded over the next two games.
Against Anaheim, he scored a natural hat trick, added two assists and finished with a five-point night. He followed that up with two more goals against the Kings.
Through 14 games, he’s tied for sixth in the NHL with 10 goals, has 17 points, and is on pace for a career-high 102 points. If Buffalo is going to keep winning, Thompson is clearly going to be central to it.
The injury picture remains mixed, though. Jiri Kulich has been in concussion protocol since taking a puck to the face in practice on Oct. 23 and did not travel on the road trip, with Lindy Ruff unsure when he’ll return. Konsta Helenius has been sidelined since absorbing a big hit from Jacob Trouba on Oct. 27 and returned to Buffalo for more testing, but the extent of the injury is still unknown.
Alex Lyon also stayed behind while the team traveled. He’s making progress with his shoulder injury after a setback a couple of weeks ago, and Ruff said the rehab is moving in the right direction, though there’s still no timetable.
Matt Grzelcyk has been out since Oct. 13 with what Ruff called a “lower-body flare-up” and is considered day-to-day. Justin Danforth, who hasn’t played since Oct. 17, was placed on injured reserve on Oct.
- Conor Timmins has been out since Sept. 26 and remains on injured reserve, though he is progressing well and has not yet resumed skating.
In Other News...
Tage Thompson May Have Solved One Sabres Problem While Exposing Another
Moving Tage Thompson to the wing has given the Sabres a cleaner look in the offensive zone, and the early returns have been hard to ignore. Thompson has been driving Buffalos recent wins with a surge that has him leading the team in goals, while Zach Bensons presence alongside him has helped give that line a more balanced feel and more consistent puck movement.
The tradeoff, of course, is what Buffalo gives up down the middle to make it work. Thompson looks more comfortable on the wing, but the Sabres are still sorting through center depth and trying to keep the lineup from feeling thin in that spot, a reminder that one fix can create another problem just as quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Crease Could Change Fast With One Return Closing In
Alex Lyon is back on the ice with the Sabres and moving closer to clearance after an upper-body injury, a welcome development for a team that has been juggling its crease with a two-goalie rotation. Buffalo would like to get back to a three-goalie setup once Lyon is ready, which would give the staff more flexibility as it sorts through the early-season grind.
The goalie situation is only part of a busy injury picture around the roster. Jiri Kulich has returned from concussion protocol, while Conor Timmins and Justin Danforth have resumed practice, but Zach Bensons status remains uncertain and Konsta Helenius is now week-to-week with an upper-body injury. For a Sabres team trying to stabilize its lineup, Lyons return could come at just the right time, even if the next step is still waiting on final clearance. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Are Finally Showing The Identity Fans Have Waited For
A road trip that started with questions ended with Buffalo looking a lot more like the team its fans have been waiting to see. The Sabres capped a three-game winning streak with a 3-2 win over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena, and the performance had the kind of ingredients that have been missing too often this season: timely scoring, a steadier power play and a goalie who made the necessary stops.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 27 shots for his fourth win, while Tage Thompson supplied two goals and continued to drive the offense when it mattered most. The bigger takeaway for Buffalo is not just the result, but the way it came together away from home, with the special teams showing real progress and the group starting to play with a clearer identity. [Read more 🡒]