All the early excitement and hope for the Buffalo Sabres seemed to evaporate pretty quickly with how this team started the season. However, the Sabres have bounced back in a big way as they have won four out of their last five.
There is still a lot of work to be done to get back into the playoff picture but they can certainly do so if Tage Thompson continues to play the way he has. He leads off this edition of news and notes.
Tage Thompson's six goal game streak is the longest since the 2006-07 season
Tage Thompson got off to a slow start to begin the season with only one goal in the first seven games. However, since that stretch he has been almost unstoppable with 11 goals in the past 15 games.
Of those 11 goals, six have been in the last six games and his six-game goal streak is something that no Buffalo Sabres player has done in almost 20 years. In fact, the last player to do it was Jason Pominville at the end of October and into November of the 2006-07 season.
Thompson has a good chance to extend his streak on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season, Thompson scored against Pittsburgh in two of the three games the Sabres played against the Penguins.
Tristan Broz expected to make NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres
When the Buffalo Sabres take the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, there is a good chance the Penguins will have a player making his NHL debut in Tristan Broz. The Penguins called him up to the NHL on Monday and should play on Wednesday against Buffalo.
He was the Penguins' second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and after scoring 19 goals in 59 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, he already has eight goals in 18 games this season.
Buffalo Sabres catch a break with Connor Hellebuyck expected to miss two upcoming games
The Buffalo Sabres are going to need to keep the momentum going, and while four out of the last five is great, they are going to have to almost double those numbers to really be taken seriously as playoff contenders. It won't be easy, as they have a six-game road trip coming up in the first half of December.
The month begins with a home game against the Winnipeg Jets, followed by a rematch four days later on the road. Fortunately for Buffalo, they won't have to go against one of the best goalies in the NHL right now in Connor Hellebuyck.
The back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner is expected to miss at least a month due to a knee injury. This means the Sabres will not have to worry about trying to beat Hellebuyck, and it would help their chances of getting a win or two. Since it was reported that Hellebuyck would miss time, the Jets lost both games they have played by a combined score of 7-3.