Sabres Star Set to Return From Injury

The Buffalo Sabres are set for the return of their star forward.

Oct 12, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL recently. Going 7-3 over their last 10 games, the team is suddenly in the mix of the Atlantic Division and giving their fans hope that their 13-year playoff drought will finally end.

Even more impressive is that the Sabres have won four of their last five games without their best player in the lineup. Forward Tage Thompson, one of the best scorers in the NHL, has missed the last five contests with a nagging lower-body injury. But after nearly two weeks without the star forward, Thompson is ready to return.

Speaking to the Buffalo media after a recent team practice, Thompson indicated that he would return when the Sabres played their next game against the Montreal Canadiens.

"I feel good," he said. "I had a good day today and I’m ready to go tomorrow."

Thompson's comments confirm a few days of speculation regarding his return. For the one-time 40-goal scorer, taking this recovery slow was important. Making sure this injury wouldn't reappear or linger all season was worth the extra week of being off the ice.

“It’s smart for sure to take an extra few days, especially where our team was at - hot on the road and feeling good about the game,” he said. “It was more of a precautionary thing, making sure I was 100 [percent], ready to go and not stepping in too early, re-aggravating it.

Slated to return, the Sabres will be overjoyed to get their best goal scorer back. Through his first 16 games of the season, Thompson set a ridiculous scoring pace. He netted 11 goals, a figure that still leads the team, and added seven assists for 18 total points.

Over the last four seasons, Thompson has been a breakout star in Buffalo. After a relatively unproductive first few years in the NHL with the Sabres and the St. Louis Blues, he exploded during the 2021-2022 campaign. It was his first 30-goal season, and it started his first of three straight campaigns with at least 29 goals. In his career, he's recorded 143 goals, 128 assists, and 271 total points over 388 NHL games.

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