Sabres held meeting about response to hit that injured Thompson
The Buffalo Sabres held a meeting Monday to address their lack of response to the hit that injured forward Tage Thompson, head coach Lindy Ruff revealed Tuesday.
"We had some hard conversations," Ruff said. "It's over. What we discussed will stay inside the room."
Thompson took a high hit from Devils winger Stefan Noesen in the third period of Buffalo's 4-3 victory over New Jersey. He remained face down on the ice with his helmet off for several seconds.
The star is day-to-day and won't play Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, though Ruff said he doesn't believe Thompson will miss much time.
Tage Thompson takes a high hit from Noesen, received a match penalty #Sabrehood #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/8A7pbXRvfP
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) February 2, 2025
The Sabres canceled practice Monday and held the meeting instead, which Ruff said was productive.
"You have meetings about games where you get blown out or when you're giving up all kinds of terrible goals," he said. "It's about growing together. The only way to get better is (to) learn from where you've been."
Dylan Cozens wants to make it clear to Buffalo's opponents that they can't take liberties with Sabres players.
"You obviously don't want teams to think of us like that," the forward said. "We're going to do what we can to not let teams think like that. We have each other's back, we're a tight group, everyone in here loves each other.
"Next time, it'll be different."
Sabres veteran Alex Tuch shared a similar vow.
"What happened last game won't happen again," he said.
Noesen was assessed a match penalty for the hit, meaning it was automatically reviewed by the league. He avoided supplemental discipline, much to Ruff's surprise.
"I think that's what they want to try and get out of the game. ... I don't think that was an accidental play," the bench boss said.
Thompson leads Buffalo with 26 goals and 48 points in 47 games this campaign.
The Sabres won their last three games heading into Tuesday's matchup. They are last in the Atlantic Division with a 21-26-5 record.
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will also miss Buffalo's date with the Blue Jackets due to a lower-body injury.