BUFFALO – Twice earlier this week, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was asked if winger Tage Thompson’s dynamic ability to shoot the puck and finish reminded him of anyone.
The first time, Ruff acknowledged he couldn’t offer a good answer. But after reflecting and putting more thought into it, he had a name ready.
“I’d probably put Thomas Vanek in that category,” Ruff said prior to Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at KeyBank Center.
The 6-foot-6 Thompson, whose 44 goals were tied for second in the NHL entering Friday’s games, probably ranks in a class of his own. Vanek’s sublime ability to shoot and deke is the closest Ruff has seen to the Sabres’ leading scorer.
“A guy that could tip the puck unbelievable, shoot the puck unbelievable, could stickhandle,” Ruff said of Vanek, who played his first eight seasons under him with the Sabres. “Thomas was a hell of a player, and I see some of that, for sure, (in) Tage. There’s some similarities there, where Thomas could rip it, Thomas could deke his way in, and there was goals that he scored that you would wonder why the goalie didn’t make the save. But it’s just the way those guys shoot the puck.”
Thompson has four games left this season to try to reach the 50-goal mark, starting with tonight’s road contest against the Florida Panthers.
He has been on a tear, having scored eight goals in the last six contests. His five-game goal streak ended in Thursday’s 3-2 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Vanek scored a career-high 43 goals in 2006-07 and 40 times in 2008-09.