Tage Thompson played for the UConn Huskies from 2015-2017. He now leads the Buffalo Sabers into the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Recording 64 points (33 goals, 31 assists) in 70 games over his career, Thompson was a standout from the start, leading the NCAA during his freshman season with 13 power play goals.
Following his two seasons with the Huskies, Thompson entered the 2016 NHL Draft and was selected 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues. In 2018, Thompson was traded in a blockbuster package with the Sabers as they targeted him as a young asset during their rebuild. The trade paid off a few years later, with the Sabers not only qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in 15 years but also earning the No. 1 seed.
Buffalo fans did not disappoint with their team securing home ice for the entirety of the postseason, starting off strong in Game 1 verses the Boston Bruins.
“I didn’t know the next level the fanbase could get to,” Thompson told reporters after his three-point playoff debut. “That was pretty exciting to see, coming out of warmups, and it was already almost full. Just a ton of energy,” he said, according to NHL.com.
Not only were the fans electric, but the game itself was something Buffalo fans will never forget.
The game did not exactly start the way fans wanted it to. Bruins’ goaltender Jeremy Swayman was perfect in the net during the first two periods with Boston leading 2-0 early in the third period.
That was until Thompson delivered the first playoff goal for Buffalo since April 26, 2011, with a wraparound shot sending fans and the atmosphere back to their feet and singing his song, “T.N.T” by ACDC.
Buffalo fans will never forget that song, because four minutes later Thompson buried another to tie the game.
The excitement continued 52 seconds later when Mattias Samuelsson notched the Sabers’ third goal of the game for their first lead.
Thompson was not done yet, as he would add to his debut with an assist to Alex Tuch slotting home the game winner on an empty net.
For a team and city that has been out of the spotlight for more than a decade, they were the talk of the hockey world on Sunday night.
They entered Game 2 on Tuesday night eager to continue their historic run.
The game didn’t go in their favor, but it started off with the beating of the drum by Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen. That was the most excitement the stadium would see as the first two periods ended with Boston leading 3-0.
In the fourth, Viktor Arvidsson scored his second goal of the game to extend the lead to four.
The Sabers fought back with back-to-back goals in less than two minutes but struggled for the rest of the game, ending 4-2.
The series shifts to Boston for Games three and 4 as the Sabers look to advance to the second round for the first time since 2007.
As the playoffs continue, the spotlight remains on Thompson with the Sabers looking to their star facing the postseason for the first time.
It is not just about talent, but about belief. The Sabers will go as far as their fanbase fuels them, something that cannot be measured on a stats sheet.
With Buffalo fans proving to be some of the most loyal and dedicated, the rally-towel wave could carry them deep into the postseason.
Well written, Elliot.
A few notes:
1. Buffalo Sabres, not Buffalo Sabers
2. The Sabres merely won the (uber-competitive) Atlantic Division. They were not the No. 1 overall seed (the President’s Trophy winners) nor the best team in their own conference. As a result, the Sabres do not have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.