Tage Thompson brings the offensive wizardry out of Peyton Krebs, a fact on full display during the Buffalo Sabres' wild 7-6 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Thompson scored a hit trick, the 10th of his career, and all three of those goals came on assists from Krebs, who was elevated back to the top line with Konsta Helenius sidelined by an upper-body injury.
Buffalo's leading scorer, who's now on pace for 52 goals this season, explained why he always seems to click with the hardworking 2019 first-round pick:
"He's always trying to get better. He's always learning. I feel like we talk quite a bit off the ice, just about different things we see in the game. Watch clips together sometimes, and he's always asking, (in) situations, where I'm gonna be or where to go, just trying to get a feel for that. And that's something I think we've developed over the years."Tage Thompson on Peyton Krebs
Krebs has never quite developed into the high-end playmaker the Vegas Golden Knights expected when they selected him with the No. 17 overall choice in the 2019 NHL Draft. He arrived to Western New York as part of the blockbuster Jack Eichel trade in 2021.
Instead, he's become a dependable high-energy forward capable of sliding up and down the lineup depending on head coach Lindy Ruff's needs any given night. His team-first approach makes him popular in the locker room. (His antics at the poker table are a little less beloved.)
The conversation shifts whenever he's on the first line alongside Thompson, though. That duo, along with the since departed Alex Tuch, were a driving force behind the Sabres' surge last season.
It's a distinction clearly witnessed in these Buffalo on-ice numbers from Natural Stat Trick (2024-25 through 2026-27):
Category | Thompson-Krebs | Krebs w/o Thompson |
|---|---|---|
Goals For/60 | 3.64 | 2.33 |
Expected Goals/60 | 2.79 | 2.28 |
Scoring Chances/60 | 27.1 | 25.7 |
Playing with better players tends to create an uptick in production. That's just natural. But it's usually not that dramatic of a jump for a contributor who's not usually an offensive force. That's a 56.2% increase in goals scored per 60, and the sample size is over 600 minutes.
Krebs' performance last night brought him up to seven assists on the season. Five of them came on goals by Thompson. It's almost uncanny.
Ruff will likely keep the dynamic duo together Saturday afternoon when Buffalo wraps up its West Coast trip with a visit to Crypto.com Arena to face the Los Angeles Kings.
For now, let's check out the newest edition of our Sabres player grades series after a crazy night in Anaheim.
Buffalo Sabres survive late surge to defeat the Anaheim Ducks
Sabres Player Grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Tage Thompson | 10 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 9.5 |
Zach Benson | 9.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 9 |
Noah Ostlund | 8.5 |
Jack Quinn | 8.5 |
Sam Carrick | 8 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 7.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 7.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 7 |
Olen Zellweger | 6.5 |
Owen Power | 6 |
Jason Zucker | 5.5 |
Josh Doan | 5.5 |
Louis Crevier | 5 |
Ryan McLeod | 4.5 |
Colten Ellis | 4 |
Josh Norris | 3 |
Dennis Gilbert | 2.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson
There are a few games every season where Thompson completely takes over offensively. This was one of those performances. He finished the night with five points (three goals and two assists) despite skating a shade under 18 minutes, a highly efficient outing.
The 6-foot-6 forward is at his best when he's aggressively attacking the net, and he seemed to have an extra burst in his stride on Thursday night. His first and third goals were both a direct result of gaining a step on the defender and beating them to the top of the crease.
Thompson had a few rough nights before the Sabres headed west, tallying no points and a minus-three rating in losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. He also endured a rare shotless contest in the loss to the Caps.
It appears he's back on track with six points and 10 shots on goal in the wins over Anaheim and the San Jose Sharks.
Sabres Quick Hits
- A true "Colten Chaos" performance from Colten Ellis. He allowed six goals on 4.2 expected goals (via HockeyStats.com) but also came up with some critical stops for Buffalo. It'll be interesting to see if Ruff sticks with him after two straight victories.
- The Sabres need more games like this where Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are the two best players on the ice.
- Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund continue to produce breakout seasons on the same line, which is giving the club some much-needed scoring depth.
- Buffalo's fourth line is starting to show some signs of promise after a sluggish start to the campaign.
- Josh Norris has three points and a minus-six rating in 13 games. Quite simply not good enough.
- The Sabres (6-4-3) and Kings (4-6-2) are scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET Saturday faceoff on Halloween.
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