Tage Thompson silenced the Honda Center crowd with a stunning hat trick, driving the Buffalo Sabres to a chaotic 7-6 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. The Sabres executed a historic comeback, erasing an early 3-1 deficit by scoring six consecutive goals to flip the script in front of a stunned home crowd. Thompson’s bull rush to tie the game at 3-3 in the first period set the tone, and he completed his hat trick with two goals separated by just 14 seconds, showcasing his relentless offensive pressure against a struggling Anaheim defense.
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The Ducks’ defensive fragility remains their most pressing issue, as they have now allowed 36 goals in their last eight games, a stretch in which they have managed just one win. Anaheim’s home record has deteriorated to 1-4-1, capping a brutal sequence that includes a third-period collapse against the Vancouver Canucks. The Sabres capitalized on these defensive lapses, with Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier opening the scoring on a five-on-three power play. Gauthier added a second power-play goal in the third, while Tristan Luneau and Beckett Sennecke scored with the extra attacker late in the game to seal the dramatic win for Buffalo.
Buffalo’s resilience was highlighted by contributions from their entire roster, including Tyson Kozak’s first goal and Noah Ostlund’s power-play strike that helped level the early deficit. For Anaheim, the loss extends their slide to seven defeats in their last eight contests, leaving them with 11 points on the season. The Ducks must urgently address their defensive structure, as allowing 21 goals in their last four games suggests a systemic breakdown that is proving too difficult to overcome, even with early leads.
Source: Yahoo Sports
