Washington, D.C. (WGR 550) - Tage Thompson capped off the Buffalo Sabres' 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night with his third goal and fourth point of the game at Capital One Arena.
Ahead of Tuesday's puck drop in the nation's capital, both teams and the crowd in attendance held a moment of silence for Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday night in the first quarter of Buffalo's matchup with the Bengals in Cincinnati.
After things got underway, it was Alex Tuch converting on a 2-on-1 opportunity midway through the opening period to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead. Jeff Skinner started the chance, while Thompson fed the puck to Tuch for his 18th goal of the season.
Thompson and Skinner were credited with the assists on the score.
Washington answered just about a minute-and-a-half later to tie the game, 1-1. Sonny Milano scored his sixth goal of the season for the Capitals as he beat Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a breakaway.
Anthony Mantha and Matt Irwin assisted on the game-tying goal.
Thompson added his first goal of the night late in the first stanza thanks to a power play chance. His 28th goal of the season came with T.J. Oshie in the penalty box. Rasmus Dahlin made the pass that set up the goal, while Dylan Cozens received the secondary assist.
The forward added his second goal of the game early in the second period to double Buffalo's lead to 3-1 over the Capitals. Thompson's 29th goal of the season was assisted by Tuch and Ilya Lyubushkin.
Alexander Ovechkin scored late in the middle period to bring Washington back within a goal, 3-2. Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted on Ovechkin's 27th goal of the season.
Nic Dowd was able to convert on a rebound chance less than a minute into the third period to tie the game at 3-3. The goal was Dowd's 10th of the season, as Milano received the lone assist on the score.
Ovechkin's second goal of the night came midway through the third period and gave Washington its first lead of the game, 4-3. Conor Sheary made the pass to the front of the net that Ovechkin converted on for his 28th goal of the year and 808th of his illustrious career.
The Sabres were able to answer several minutes later when Tyson Jost converted on a second chance opportunity following a shot by Casey Mittelstadt. Jost's third goal of the season tied the game at 4-4.
Mittelstadt and Owen Power assisted on the score.
Thompson's third hat-trick of the season was created by a Tuch turnover in the offensive zone in overtime. Thompson was able to beat Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper for the game-winning goal, his 30th goal of the season.
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Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 10:48 - Alex Tuch (18) (Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner); 17:29 - Tage Thompson (28) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens)
WSH: 12:07 - Sonny Milano (6) (Anthony Mantha, Matt Irwin)
Second Period:
BUF: 5:50 - Tage Thompson (29) (Alex Tuch, Ilya Lyubushkin)
WSH: 16:46 - Alex Ovechkin (27) (Evgeny Kuznetsov)
Third Period:
BUF: 11:42 - Tyson Jost (3) (Casey Mittelstadt, Owen Power)
WSH: 0:55 - Nic Dowd (10) (Sonny Milano, Nick Jensen); 7:10 - Alex Ovechkin (28) (Conor Sheary)
Overtime:
BUF: 3:00 - Tage Thompson (30) (Alex Tuch)
WSH: NONE
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First Period:
BUF: NONE
WSH: 16:57 - T.J. Oshie (High sticking - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 17:49 - Ilya Lyubushkin (Slashing - 2 min.)
WSH: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
WSH: 18:00 - Evgeny Kuznetzov (Tripping - 2 min.); 19:43 - Lars Eller
(Tripping - 2 min.)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
WSH: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Tage Thompson - BUF
2.) Alex Ovechkin - WSH
3.) Sonny Milano - WSH
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What's next:
The Sabres will return home to welcome the Minnesota Wild on Saturday for a 7 p.m. EST faceoff on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550. Pregame coverage on WGR begins at 6 p.m. EST with Brian Koziol.