Columbus, Ohio (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have now scored 15 goals since their win Sunday evening over the San Jose Sharks.
The blue and gold went to Columbus on Wednesday night and drubbed the Blue Jackets, 9-4, at Nationwide Arena. Tage Thompson was, once again, the headline for Buffalo in this game with five goals scored on a historic night in Ohio. Four of those goals came in the first period alone.
Thompson was one of six Buffalo skaters to tally a multi-point night.
The Sabres put on a show in the opening frame with one of their most impressive periods in franchise history. Six goals were scored on the Blue Jackets tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins, including the four from Thompson in a span of 16:40.
Sandwiched in-and-around Thompson's onslaughts were tallies from Dylan Cozens on the power play and Rasmus Dahlin, as the blue and gold could do no wrong from jump street.
The second period saw five more goals scored - a pair by Columbus and three more from the Sabres.
The Blue Jackets' tallies came 75 seconds apart, and may have woken the Sabres back up. After Patrik Laine and Gustav Nyquist each netted their fifth goals of the year for the home team, the blue and gold roared back to make it 9-2 before period's end.
First up was Thompson, whose fifth of the night tied a franchise record held by Hall-of-Famer Dave Andreychuk.
Following Thompson's lead were the likes of Peyton Krebs, who just over a minute later potted his first goal of the season. Then inside the final minute of the frame, Alex Tuch scored on an impossible angle for his 13th of the campaign.
The only scoring in the third period came courtesy of the Blue Jackets, who got as close as 9-4 thanks to more goals from Laine and Nyquist.
Thompson's night ended with his five goals and six points, while elsewhere, Jeff Skinner registered his first-career four-assist game.
In addition, Dylan Cozens became the first skater since 2012 age 21-or-under to post three-straight games with three or more points. The last player to do so was defenseman Erik Karlsson while a member of the Ottawa Senators.
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GAME RECAP:
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 3:21 - Dylan Cozens (10) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson); 5:32 - Tage Thompson (17) (Alex Tuch); 7:28 - Rasmus Dahlin (9) (Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn); 7:50 - Tage Thompson (18) (Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner); 12:22 - Tage Thompson (19) PPG (Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens); 16:40 - Tage Thompson (20) PPG (Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin)
CBJ: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 16:07 - Tage Thompson (21) (Alex Tuch, Jacob Bryson); 17:19 - Peyton Krebs (1) (Unassisted); 19:16 - Alex Tuch (13) (Jeff Skinner, Jacob Bryson)
CBJ: 10:49 - Patrik Laine (5) (Jack Roslovic); 12:04 - Gustav Nyquist (5) (Johnny Gaudreau, Boone Jenner)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
CBJ: 4:47 - Patrik Laine (6) (Vladislav Gavrikov, Yegor Chinakhov); 15:49 - Gustav Nyquist (6) (Marcus Bjork)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 17:13 - JJ Peterka (Holding the stick - 2 min.); 17:13 - Owen Power (Roughing - 2 min.)
CBJ: 2:28 - Eric Robinson (Hooking - 2 min.); 10:09 - Sean Kuraly (Tripping - 2 min.); 10:09 - Sean Kuraly (Roughing - 2 min.); 14:54 - Sean Kuraly (Tripping - 2 min.); 15:58 - Jack Roslovic (Hooking - 2 min.); 17:13 - Sean Kuraly (Roughing - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:15 - Owen Power (Throwing equipment at the puck - Penalty shot)
CBJ: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 8:11 - Dylan Cozens (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
CBJ: 8:11 - Sean Kuraly (Misconduct - 10 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Tage Thompson - BUF
2.) Alex Tuch - BUF
3.) Rasmus Dahlin - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres return home on Friday to host the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center in the first games of a home-and-home series. Puck drop is set for 7 pm EST with pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.
