Buffalo Sabres: How Tage Thompson ranks among the NHL’s best

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson has enjoyed a career year, becoming the first on the team to reach 30 goals scored this season

Just a season ago, Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson was headed for the NHL’s muck pile. The former first-round pick appeared in 38 games in 2020-21, logging just eight goals and six assists.

It was another downer of a season, with Thompson appearing in just one game the previous year because of injury. Before the 2021-22 NHL Season, Thompson appeared in 145 games, with just 35 points to show for it.

Here’s some more fun. On October 14th, 2021, Expected Buffalo made their annual predictions for the Sabres 2021-22 season.

Who was their projected scoring leader? It was Casey Mittelstadt, who they predicted to contribute 51 points. They said Jeff Skinner would lead the team in goals scored with 22.

As for the Team MVP? Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. So Expected Buffalo may have gotten the Dahlin prediction right. They were also somewhat accurate in predicting the Sabres record and points total this season, at 31-43-8 for 70 points.

Their projected Biggest Surprise (in a good way), was Vinnie Hinostroza. When healthy, Hinostroza has developed into a solid contributor.

What was the only mention of Thompson in the article? The reference of him being “notoriously dismal defensive entity.” Okay, so Thompson’s defense isn’t the greatest with just 52 hits and 38 takeaways.

However, Thompson’s offensive prowess has remained on display throughout the season. To the point where he became one of the NHL’s biggest surprises in 2021-22.

He’s not only leading the team in goals (30), but also points (53), and he’s tied for second on the team in assists (23). Thompson also leads the team in shooting percentage at 13.7 (minimum 100 shots on goal).

So how does he rank against the league’s best in the following offensive categories? Keep reading for more.

Points

Predictably, Thompson ranks lower in total points at 68th in the league. We can attribute his moderate points total with the way the Sabres have spent most of the season.

Before March 2022, and even at times in March, the Sabres struggled to get anything going offensively and it affected the entire lineup. However, in February, along with Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, Thompson helped put on a few memorable performances.

He recorded at least one point in eight of ten games that month. And who can forget the hat trick on February 19th in a losing effort to the Colorado Avalanche?

Thompson followed up his successful February with points in eight of twelve contests, with three multiple-point games. Overall, the Sabres are still struggling with consistently scoring. So until they’re averaging over 2.75 goals per game, neither Thompson nor anyone on the team will record an astronomical number of points.

With the Sabres finally gaining stability and youth, that trend could change soon. And it should surprise no one if more than just Thompson treats fans at the KeyBank Center to some memorable outings. Especially with the likes of Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka looking to become part of the lineup this coming October.

Even-Strength Goals

Thompson is one of the league’s best when it comes to scoring even-strength goals. With 21 on the season, he ranks 26th, tied with eight other players. Also, he is second on the team in this category behind Jeff Skinner.

His point shares are the sixth-lowest of the group, while his shooting percentage is the fifth-lowest. He is also one of seven players in the top 26 with a negative +/-. And at (-13), his +/- is the second-lowest of the group.

Of the league leaders in even strength goals, 11 players rank below Thompson in goals scored. He also has seven power play goals, which puts him in the middle of the pack. His two game-winning goals, however, tie him with Clayton Keller as the lowest in the group.

Thompson is also one of just 11 players in the group to score shorthanded goals. And of those 11 players, he and seven others have logged multiple shorthanded goals.

So among the top even-strength scorers in the NHL, Thompson pales in comparison to some degree. But in other categories, he excels. Look for his numbers to climb even higher if the Sabres get more consistent on offense.

Shots on Goal

Thompson is tied for 21st in the NHL for shots on goal with our own Jeff Skinner. And as mentioned earlier, Skinner has Thompson beaten in a few categories. So, who wins this side-by-side comparison between the team’s leading scorers?

Thompson holds the edge in points with 53 over Skinner’s 48. However, Skinner has Thompson beaten in the +/- category with (-9). As mentioned in the previous slide, Skinner is also winning with 23 even-strength goals compared to Thompson’s 21.

With a 12.3 percent shooting percentage, Skinner has ground to make up when compared to Thompson’s 13.7 conversion rate. Thompson also has the advantage on defense, with 52 hits compared to Skinner’s 21. He also logged 23 blocks as of April 1st, 2022 while Skinner has just 17. The duo are also logging between 17 and 18 minutes of average ice time.

Thompson also holds the edge in power play goals with seven compared to Skinner’s four. And as also mentioned in the previous slide, he also holds a sound advantage over most of the league’s top even-strength scorers in shorthanded goals. However, Skinner holds the edge with game-winning goals with three over Thompson’s two.

Now the question remains: Will Tage Thompson keep this up for the rest of the NHL season?

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With 13 games remaining on the schedule as of April 3rd, 2022, the pressure is on. We will revisit this article upon the season’s conclusion and see if Thompson was able to improve upon where he ranks in the four categories among his peers in the NHL.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)