Tage Thompson's first year at center has been the breakthrough his NHL career needed. With two games left in the season, he might even be able to make a major entry into the Buffalo Sabres' record book.
The 24-year-old has 37 goals – more than double the total he had over his first 145 career games. He's aiming to become the team's first 40-goal scorer since Jeff Skinner scored 40 three years ago. And if Thompson gets there, he can join an elite group of centers in Blue and Gold to hit the mark.
That list? Gilbert Perreault, Pat LaFontaine and Pierre Turgeon. That's it.
Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo left practice Monday morning in KeyBank Center after tweaking his left ankle, and the team is awaiting word on the veteran's status for its two remaining games.
"Obviously, it'd be really cool, an incredible achievement I think personally," Thompson said after practice Monday in KeyBank Center. "It's hard not to think about it, but you try just to kind of block it out and focus on the team stuff first. I think when you start focusing on the number, that's kind of when you'll probably get snakebit and chances will start not going in for you. Keep that team-first focus and I think the goals will follow."
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Coach Don Granato made sure Thompson was on the ice with the opposing net empty late in Saturday's 5-3 win over the New York Islanders when Ilya Sorokin was pulled for an extra attacker.
"I was cheating down the ice there at the end," a smiling Thompson admitted.
"It would be great. I think the whole team would be happy, I'd be happy for him, no question," Granato said of the 40-goal quest. "And there's no question if we have a situation where there's an empty net at the other end, why wouldn't I get him out there? He's earned it, he's worked for it. It'd be nice to give him that. And he's defensively responsible."
Thompson's previous career high in the NHL was last year's eight-goal season. So Granato was thrilled when he got to 20. And to 30. And that's the key: Keep pushing higher.
Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson celebrates his goal during the second period against the New York Islanders on April 23, 2022.
"There's more, you can do more," Granato said was his basic message. "Even when Tage hit 30, he and I had a talk, 'I know you're going to score more, you know you're going to score more, so we can celebrate this, but onward and upward, let's go. There's still more for us.' "
Granato is particularly impressed by how unselfish his team has become. Thompson has 30 assists and is as happy setting up a goal as scoring one. The coaching staff and fans watching on TV were quick to notice how fast Skinner grabbed the puck Thursday in New Jersey after Owen Power scored his first NHL goal. And Thompson and Power were immediately in the thick of the action Saturday when Islanders tough guy Matt Martin jumped Skinner during a third-period scrum.
"There's no selfishness and I think people get selfish when they fear there's not enough for them," Granato said. "And we want to create a culture where they don't fear whether there's not enough for you. There is enough for you and there's more for you if we get this whole thing going right."
Thompson and Skinner combined for 15 goals last season. To be at 70 this year is a testament to their offseason training, the honing of their individual games and the pushes they've received from the coaching staff.
"I would hope we helped him gain a calm and a confidence and he's playing with that," Granato said of Thompson. "It looks like he's gained that calm and confidence, I would like to think we were part of that as a coaching staff in the organization, more than just the coaches, and just saying, 'Hey, we have this confidence in you, just go play.'"
"He's very competitive. And I think I'm pretty competitive, too," Thompson said of Skinner. "We both want to be the guy that scores and can lead a team in goals. It's a good thing. It's good friendly competition. I think it makes our team better when you have guys that are hungry to outplay each other."
Thompson's shot has become a true howitzer from the faceoff circles, a major weapon both at 5-on-5 and the power play. But he's improved dramatically as a playmaker as well.
"I feel like it's been there but I feel like you get more puck touches in the middle. ... As the game moves along, you just have that confidence that you know you're gonna make a play," he said. "I feel more comfortable coming up the middle of the ice, too. You see a lot more of the ice and instead of being locked onto a wall, and I think that's kind of why maybe some of the passing and playmaking showed up a little more this season."
For a young player, Thompson has learned to have patience with the puck. It's easy to get too frenetic with it and that causes mistakes.
"As a young guy or guy without much experience, you're almost trying to prove your skill set and so you force a play," Granato said. "It's 'I want to make a play here.' Tage is at a point now where he's like, 'I don't have to make a play here. If there's a play to be made, I am going to make it. And I'm going to extend the possession long enough to see if that might open up or that might open up.' He's actually seeing layers of options."
