BUFFALO – As Tage Thompson kept firing away from the left circle, unleashing four consecutive one-timers late in the first period as the Sabres enjoyed a power play, the anticipation from the capacity crowd in KeyBank Center grew.
How often do you get to see one of hockey’s most lethal shooters let loose like that?
“I think they were tired,” Thompson said after a 2-1 loss ended the Sabres’ eight-game win streak. “It’s tough for a kill when they’re running around. Tee up a couple, and we kind of get back on it first. Puck just seemed to keep coming back to me.”
If one of those wicked shots beat Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren, the Sabres might’ve broken the game wide open.
“I certainly thought one of them was going to go in,” said Thompson, who smiled as he skated to the bench following his shooting frenzy. “I felt like I got a lot on all of them and placed them pretty well.”
The Sabres powerplay set Tage Thompson up 4 times in a row for one timers 😂#LetsGoBuffalo #Sabrehood #AllCaps pic.twitter.com/ifuyZkCRxz
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 12, 2026
The Sabres pummeled the Capitals in the first period, grabbing an early 1-0 lead and outshooting them 15-3 before the crowd of 19,070 fans. At times, it felt a little like the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals.
But the Sabres never got that second goal, and the Capitals, who are desperately trying to stay in the playoff chase, settled into the game and clamped down, limiting their scorching opponent to just 15 shots over the final two periods.
“I think they played a real smart game,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Realizing in the first period we were all over them, they stacked it up pretty good at the line. They weren’t going to make a big mistake.”
The Sabres made a big gaffe on Jakob Chychrun’s winning goal 18:27 into the third period, losing coverage up top and allowing the defenseman to beat Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the right circle.
“A mistake that ends up costing us maybe at least a point,” Ruff said.
Sooner or later, of course, the Sabres would lose again. They hadn’t dropped a game since Feb. 5, their final outing before the Olympic break.
Down the stretch, the Sabres, who hold first place in the Atlantic Division, can expect more nights like Thursday as teams fight for playoff spots or positioning.
“Teams are going to be gunning for us,” said center Sam Carrick, who scored 6:02 into the contest, his second goal in four games following his arrival in a trade last Friday. “That’s a good lesson.”
The Sabres need to settle down fast. Some bad habits seems to be creeping into their game.
Ruff said they did some “dumb stuff” in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Sharks. While Sunday’s emotional 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was significant, you won’t win many games allowing that many goals.
On Thursday, Ruff said the Sabres “had like four or five guys that weren’t really going that well.”
“It was one of those games that I felt a couple of our guys were flat, our passes weren’t quite on, we were missing some shots up top, we were missing lanes,” he said. “We could’ve turned some of the opportunities into better opportunities, but we didn’t.”
Carrick sad the Sabres perhaps became “a little too cute” instead of making a simple play and going north.
Ryan Leonard tied the game 2:14 into the second period.
Luukkonen, who last played Sunday, had a strong 20-save night. Meanwhile, Lindgren looked sharp all night, making 29 saves.
