Tage Thompson scored three consecutive goals and added two assists as the Buffalo Sabres erased an early two-goal deficit and held off the Anaheim Ducks 7-6 Thursday night at Honda Center.
Peyton Krebs assisted on all three Thompson goals, while Zach Benson contributed a goal and two assists, according to the NHL’s final box score.
Buffalo improved to 6-4-3. Colten Ellis finished with 29 saves on 35 shots, while Anaheim’s Ville Husso stopped 24 of 31.
Six straight goals turn the game
Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier scored power-play goals before the game was three minutes old. Tyson Kozak answered for Buffalo, but Roger McQueen restored Anaheim’s two-goal lead at 3-1.
Noah Östlund’s power-play goal started a run of six unanswered Buffalo goals. Thompson tied the game at 15:32 of the first period, then scored at 18:36 and 18:51 of the second to complete his natural hat trick.
Jack Quinn added a power-play goal early in the third, and Benson extended the lead to 7-3.
Anaheim responded with three straight goals. Gauthier scored his second of the night before Tristan Luneau struck with 1:08 remaining and Beckett Sennecke made it 7-6 with 31 seconds left.
Ellis stopped Jackson LaCombe with 22 seconds remaining to protect the lead.
Roster moves and the next game
Konsta Helenius is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Sam Carrick returned, and Justin Danforth went on injured reserve, the team reported.
Buffalo visits Los Angeles Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern. MSG coverage begins at 3:30.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
