Tage Thompson’s Game-Winner at Chicago
The Sabres spent most of the last decade as the NHL’s best team in one single category: Treating their fans to fools gold. And things looked hopeless over the first 23 minutes of regulation against the Chicago Blackhawks, when they found themselves in a 4-0 hole on the road.
That changed as the Sabres surged back throughout the game’s final 37 minutes, eventually knotting things up at five apiece. They could have taken the game into overtime, but with under 30 seconds to go in the contest, the Sabres found themselves in prime position to score.
Then Rasmus Dahlin found an open Tage Thompson near the top of the circle. The 6’7 forward didn’t necessarily drill the puck home. Instead, it banked off the boards and hit Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen’s skate, sealing the 6-5 win for the Sabres.
A memorable moment indeed, but, just for a bit of foreshadowing, this was not the most memorable moment against the Chicago Blackhawks this season. But more on that later.