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Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres will face off against the Florida Panthers at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida at 7:00 pm ET.
The Sabres are coming off a surprising 6-5 win in OT against the Tampa Bay Lightning, thanks to Tage Thompson's hat-trick. Thompson is available to play tonight and will look to repeat his performance from last night.
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Tage Thompson is leading the Sabres in points (75) and goals (39) in 56 games. He's second in assists, behind defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who has 48 assists this season.
Tage Thompson's career so far
Thompson was drafted as the 26th pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the St. Louis Blues. In his first season for the Blues in 2017, he had nine points, scoring three goals and six assists.
Heading into the 2018-19 season, the St. Louis Blues acquired superstar Ryan O'Reilly in exchange for Patrick Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson, a conditional 2019 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.
After being traded to the Sabres, Thompson has 169 points from 92 goals and 77 assists in 238 games. He's having a career season with his 75 points and is projected to have 110 points by the end of the ongoing 2022-23 NHL season.
The Sabres saw a lot of potential in Thompson and signed the forward to a seven-year, $50 million contract extension, AAV of $7.14 million, in August 2022.
What are Buffalo Sabres' chances to make playoffs?
The Buffalo Sabres are sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 29-23-4 record. They're competing for two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. They will compete against the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals for the same.
The Penguins and Capitals have had a rough couple of games in the last two weeks, dragging themselves behind in the wildcard race. The Red Wings have won seven of their last ten games and are on a two-game winning streak heading into their clash against the Lightning on Feb. 25.
The Florida Panthers have not been consistent in their wins. They's in a "win-one-loss-one" cycle in their last seven games. They won their last game against the Anaheim Ducks, so tonight's game could be a loss, but the Panthers will look to break that pattern.
