Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres bested Thompson’s younger brother Tyce in his NHL debut.
Buffalo came away with a 5-3 win and extended their point streak to five games with an impressive 3-0-2 record in that stretch.
While points mean nothing in the standings anymore for Buffalo, these games are very encouraging because the team is getting contributions from their younger players.
Recap
- Severson (NJ 1-0)
- Asplund (BUF 1-1)
- Montour (BUF 2-1)
- Bratt (NJ 2-2)
- Zacha (NJ 3-2)
- Dahlin (BUF 3-3)
- Mittelstadt (BUF 4-3)
- Ristolainen (BUF 5-3)
Tage vs Tyce
In the first ever NHL matchup between the Thompson brothers, Tage came away with the victory but how did he perform in comparison to his younger brother?
Tage picked up an assist, posted a 75.06% xGF% and three iHDCF (according to natural stat trick).
Tyce also picked up an assist (first ever NHL point), posted a 78.95% xGF% and one iHDCF (according to natural stat trick).
Both brothers were impressive tonight, but given the Sabres coming away with the victory Tage will be given the slight edge in their first ever matchup. Regardless of the performance it was a cool night for the Thompson family.
Making your NHL debut is cool, but making your NHL debut against your big bro is cooler 😎 pic.twitter.com/KWncmdnQ0C
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 6, 2021
Casey and Rasmus have a night
Since Granato took over as the interim head coach in Buffalo he’s talked about playing freely and giving players the greenlight on offence.
Two players who have seen immediate success since the coaching change have been Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin.
Although Mittelstadt looked good under the previous coach, his production has really taken off since Granato took over.
In the last five games alone, Mittelstadt has five points (five points in previous 18-games) and currently finds himself in the middle of a four-game point streak.
RASMUS. DAHLIN.
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) April 7, 2021
Another incredible play.
Mittelstadt with another goal as well. 4-3 #Sabres lead pic.twitter.com/YbyNwVluYZ
Dahlin on the other hand, has seen a complete transformation since Ralph Krueger was fired. Say what you want about his defensive game (it still needs some improvement) but Dahlin’s offensive resurgence under Granato has to be a huge relief within the organization.
While the coach can’t shoulder 100% of the blame, Dahlin’s recent performance has to be a huge indictment on Krueger’s coaching ability because the 2018 #1 pick looked lost until the Sabres coaching change.
Not only was his assist on the game-winner fantastic, his game-tying goal was also a highlight reel play.
Oh my, Rasmus Dahlin 🤤 pic.twitter.com/5i8CWllJoq
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) April 7, 2021
If the Sabres can continue to ger performances like this from these two players and the other young guys, the rest of the season will be fun to watch.
Other news and notes
- Rasmus Asplund scored again, he has been really impressive in his limited role and looks to be earning a full-time roster spot with his play
- Taylor Hall was scratched due to a likely impending trade
- Brandon Montour looks to be peaking at the right time, scoring his fifth goal of the year and fourth goal in his last five games.
Looking Ahead
The Sabres face the Devils (Thursday), the Capitals (Friday) and the Flyers (Sunday) before the trade deadline. With pending UFAs the Sabres could soon be looking to younger players to get some playing time and giving the fans reason to watch the rest of the year.
