Tage Thompson’s Hat Trick Leads Sabres to 5–3 Win Over Canadiens

Buffalo N.Y. — Tage Thompson scored three goals, including the 200th of his career, and the Buffalo Sabres extended their recent surge with a 5–3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at KeyBank Center.

Thompson’s performance marked his ninth career hat trick and included two assists as part of a multi point effort that fueled Buffalo’s offense. Josh Doan chipped in with a goal and an assist, and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres improved to 15–2 in their past 17 games. Goaltender Colten Ellis stopped 20 shots to backstop the win.

The Sabres (26–16–4) now hold 56 points through 47 games, their highest total at this stage since the 2009–10 season when Buffalo went 30–11–6. That historical comparison underscores the significance of the franchise’s current position in the Atlantic Division and its potential for a deep playoff push.

Montreal saw contributions from Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, each with a goal and an assist, and Ivan Demidov also scored for the Canadiens. Rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler made 22 saves in relief. Montreal entered the night coming off a 3–2 overtime loss at Washington and had gone 8–2–4 since its last back to back defeats.

Buffalo and Montreal traded leads through two periods before Thompson broke the stalemate early in the third. With the Sabres on the attack, Peyton Krebs kept the puck in the Montreal zone. Doan tracked it down and fed Thompson, who snapped a shot inside the left post at 5:12 of the final period. Thompson sealed the hat trick with an empty net goal late in the game.

The Sabres have been particularly strong at home, winning 10 of their last 12 contests at KeyBank Center. Thursday’s victory also snapped a prolonged home skid against Montreal; Buffalo had not defeated the Canadiens on home ice since Nov. 26, 2022, going 0–4–2 in that span.

Before the game, Buffalo honored the 20th anniversary of its 2005–06 team that reached the Eastern Conference finals before falling in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Alumni in attendance included goaltender Ryan Miller, forwards Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, and defenseman Jay McKee. During the ceremony, Miller surprised Vanek and Pominville with announcements of their inductions into the Sabres Hall of Fame. A taped message from Flyers general manager and former Sabres co captain Danny Briere was also shown on the video board.

Looking ahead, the Canadiens will finish their three game road swing in Ottawa on Saturday, seeking to rebound from Thursday’s loss.

The Sabres close a five game home stand Saturday when they host the Minnesota Wild, an opportunity to build further on their current momentum.