We’re going to break this down a bit because center Tage Thompson’s brilliant five-goal, six-point night ranks as one of the greatest performances in the Buffalo Sabres’ 53-year history.
Thompson, 25, was downright dominant early in Wednesday’s 9-4 annihilation of the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, scoring four goals and five points in the first period as the Sabres opened up a stunning 6-0 lead.
Incredibly, he recorded his second hat trick this season by the 12:22 mark.
Through 26 games this season, Thompson has scored 21 goals, the NHL’s third-highest total, and 40 points, putting him on pace for 66 goals and 126 points.
Remember, less than two years ago Thompson was a healthy scratch.
More on the burgeoning superstar’s historic night:
– Thompson’s four early scores tied the NHL record for most goals by a player in a single period. He became the 18th player in league history to score four times in one period. He’s the first since Patrick Marleau on Jan. 23, 2017.
– Thompson became the second player in Sabres history to score five goals, joining Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk, who accomplished the feat on Feb. 6, 1986.
– Believe it or not, Thompson played a season-low 13 minutes, 56 seconds against the Blue Jackets.
He scored three goals and four points in just 3 minutes, 45 seconds and ice time and four goals and five points in 5 minutes, 14 seconds.
Update: four goals and five points in 5:14 https://t.co/tkP9479BFZ
— Heather Engel (@engelheather) December 8, 2022
– Thompson’s five points in the first set a new franchise record for a single period.
– Thompson became the first Sabres player to score three times in the first period since Alexander Mogilny on Feb. 24, 1993.
– Thompson became the fourth player in NHL history to score four first-period goals in a regular-season game. He’s the first since Peter Bondra on Feb. 5, 1994.
– Thompson’s the ninth player in franchise history to score four or more goals in one game.
– Thompson, who scored his fifth goal 16:07 into the second period, fell one point short of tying Gilbert Perreault’s franchise record for points in one game.
He also had a six-point game Oct. 31 in the Sabres’ 8-3 shellacking of the Detroit Red Wings. That was the Sabres’ first six-point effort since Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine on Feb. 10, 1993.
– Thompson pumped seven shots on goal in the first, tying the franchise record for most shots in a single period set by Maxim Afinogenov on Dec. 16, 2000 and Jason Pominville on Nov. 10, 2007.
Overall, Thompson registered nine shots.
– Thompson became the second U.S.-born player to score five goals in one game, joining Mark Pavelich.
Thanks to Sabres PR, NHL PR and Heather Engel for the information.
