Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Tage Thompson is not happy the Buffalo Sabres are headed home for the summer. Saturday was locker room clean-out day for many of the veterans, and Thompson lamented missing the playoffs by two points.
"Not making the playoffs sucks, and the way that we didn’t make the playoffs sucks even more because of how close we came," said Thompson during his end-of-season session with the media on Saturday. "Looking back at the season, the games that we could’ve closed out and gotten points makes it that much tougher to swallow. But at the same time, I think it gives us a good perspective moving forward.
"The course of the season is very long, and there’s games that we lost and carried it over into the next game and the next game. I think we turned one loss into three, and it’s something we now know, as a group, it’s not the end of the day when we lose a game. I think that’s going to be a big part moving into next season."
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With all that being said, there's better ways to channel anger and it sounds like Thompson is going to move forward doing it the right way.
"There’s always more that you can give, and it’s a tough one to swallow the way things ended. But I think it leaves you that much more hungry, because heading into next season, there’s goals that I’m going to have as an individual and we’ll have as a team," he said.
Thompson has tried to play through multiple injuries for awhile now. In his last 17 games, he scored five goals after netting 42 in his first 61 games.
"Since the All-Star break, I’ve been dealing with a lot of low back stuff. It kept me out for a little bit there, and it’s one of those things where it really didn’t go away for a while," Thompson said. "When it did, it was pretty short and it came back pretty quick. So that, and then I had a hip pointer with the injury against Jersey, and then a shoulder the last game against Ottawa."
Over 82 games, Thompson was on a pace for 49 goals and 49 assists for 98 points. When teams played the Sabres, their game plans revolved around stopping Thompson. He says that was a learning experience that has made him better.
"I think it teaches you to add certain aspects to your game, because when teams start keying on you, you’ve got to bring something else to the table, find a way to produce and a way to impact the game," Thompson said. "It’s something that has helped me to round out my game, and it will continue to help me add things to my game."
We’ve heard head coach Don Granato speak almost on a daily basis about this being the youngest team in the league and the pressure that brings. Thompson says they learned what it is, and how it can be handled both ways.
"At certain points, you’re going to feel different kinds of pressure. It’s all about how you perceive it, and do you let it fuel you or do you let it overcome you? I think at some points during the season, we let it be our downfall," he said. "Sometimes we were on the right side of it, and it’s a good learning lesson for us moving forward because we’re going to be in playoffs, I think, every year from now on."
Thompson felt most people doubted this team when the season started, but he’s glad the expectation next season will be they’ll make the playoffs.
“If you look at the beginning of this season, I think there’s probably mixed comments on whether or not we had the capability of being a playoff team. I think there’s no question now, because we’ve cemented the belief in our room that we are a playoff team, and that we deserve to be there," Thompson said. "If we’re not there, it’s our own fault.”
Thompson knows he’ll need to take time off to give his body some time to heal. That means he won’t be an option for Team USA at the World Championship.
Alex Tuch is going to play for the U.S., as is his brother. Luke Tuch just finished his junior year at Boston University. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Casey Mittelstadt wants to get home after playing 82 games for the first time in his career, so he turned down an invitation to play for Team USA.
Team Canada wants Jeff Skinner to play this May, but he hasn’t decided whether he will go yet.
Rasmus Dahlin and Zemgus Girgensons won’t play for Sweden and Latvia, as they’re nursing injuries. Dahlin says he played with both upper- and lower-body injuries.
Henri Jokiharju was injured in the final game in Columbus, and may not be able to play for Finland.
We’ll get a chance to speak with some of the younger players like Devon Levi, Dylan Cozens and Owen Power on Sunday.
