BUFFALO – On Monday, a day after New Jersey Devils pest Stefan Noesen hit Tage Thompson in the head, knocking him out of the Sabres’ 4-3 win, the winger said he was starting to feel the effects of the concussion he suffered.
In the dressing room following the hit and later that night at home, Thompson, who returned to practice Friday, said he felt “totally fine.”
“Then second day it kind of hit me pretty hard there,” he said in KeyBank Center following the session. “Third day it was great, felt normal. I’ve been progressing each day, so feeling good today.”
Thompson, 27, took his normal reps Friday at right wing alongside center Jiri Kulich and JJ Peterka in LECOM Harborcenter.
After sitting out Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thompson said he feels ready to play in tonight’s road game against the Nashville Predators, the Sabres’ final outing before the NHL breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“I have to talk the doctors and the staff, got to figure out what’s best,” the Sabres’ leading scorer said. “I know it’s definitely a high possibility for Saturday, and kind of just see where I progress the rest of the day and go from there.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he expects Thompson, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and center Dylan Cozens (lower body) to play against Nashville. Luukkonen and Cozens also practiced Friday.
“As long as (there are) no ramifications from today, they should all be good to go,” Ruff said.
Even without Thompson on Tuesday, the Sabres stayed on a roll, earning their fourth straight victory. They haven’t won five consecutive games since Jan. 19 to 26, 2023.
Of course, the Sabres, having let Noesen get away with the hit, have endured plenty of turmoil this week. On Monday, they canceled practice and discussed their weak response.
“I thought we handled it internally,” Thompson said. “I’ll just leave it at that. I respect and I trust all the guys in this room, and I’ll go to war with each one of these guys.”
Thompson said he believes the hit was dirty. The NHL did not suspended Noesen, who received a match penalty 5:11 into the third period and was ejected.
“He grabbed me after the game and talked to me, apologized, which I respect,” Thompson said. “But at the same time, you don’t know what’s going on through his head. So (I) can’t really speculate. But I felt like he could’ve made a play and avoided me.”
Thompson said if the NHL had suspended Noesen, it wouldn’t have affected him.
“Nothing I can really do about it,” he said. “That’s what they ruled and just move forward.”
Thompson has been scorching, registering seven goals and 12 points in his last seven games. He has morphed into one of the NHL’s hottest scorers as a winger, not a center.
The American’s career took off in 2021 after former Sabres coach Don Granato shifted him to the middle. Ruff originally moved Thompson to the side to help him deal with an undisclosed injury.
Even top centers occasionally switch to the wing. But he has performed so well he has remained there.
“He’s scoring a lot more,” Ruff said. “That’s really what has stood out. The connection with those three guys has been good. I think it’s freed him up a little bit from defensive responsibilities down low, to get out of the zone, use his speed a little bit more, get up ice a little bit quicker.”
Thompson, who has scored 26 goals and 48 points in 47 games this season, said the positions offer him different things.
“I like playing center, just coming up the middle of the ice with the puck, you get a lot more puck touches, I feel like you’re involved in the play a little bit more,” he said. “But I think there’s a lot more responsibility on the defensive end.”
As a winger, Thompson said “you can kind of get away with sniffing out some offense a little bit.”
“Maybe being the last guy back and trying to see if you’ve got possession,” he said. “Maybe take off and get a breakaway or maybe on an odd-man rush you’re coming in a little late and you’re getting the puck as a trailer for a shot.
“I think for me, personally, it’s benefited me just trying to find those pockets to get shots off and playing with some good players that can find me in those holes to get some looks.”
Notes: The Sabres on Friday sent winger Isak Rosen, who played Tuesday, back to the Rochester Americans following practice. … Goalies James Reimer and Felix Sandstrom, who was recalled Tuesday, also practiced Friday. … Center Tyson Kozak, who was sick last weekend, practiced again Friday. Ruff said the rookie, who lost seven pounds, is getting stronger.