Tage Thompson has struggled in the playoffs, scoring only three goals in nine games for the Buffalo Sabres. Despite a strong regular season, his performance has raised concerns about his impact during the team's playoff run.
Tage Thompson was an absolute ice demon during the regular season for the surprising Buffalo Sabres.
Across an ironman 81 in 82 appearances, the 28-year-old, nine-year veteran did it all. Thompson had a 40-goal, 81-point season while leading the Sabers' top line as a tenacious, skillful presence. It was his third campaign where he scored at least 40 goals and his second with at least 80 points. The Sabres' turnaround into Stanley Cup contender does not happen without his elite consistency. Full stop.
That's why it's so jarring to see Thompson somewhat struggle for the Sabres in their first playoff run in 14 years.
At the time of this writing, Thompson has just three goals and eight total points for the Sabres in nine games, including Sunday's Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on the road. Technically, that's a point per game, which is great playoff production. But Thompson isn't scoring at his usual rate, having scored just three goals in nine games so far. With the Sabres scoring two or fewer goals in three games, or 33 percent of their postseason run to this point, Thompson's relative struggles as the team's leading scorer are more glaring.
Thompson was asked whether he had an undisclosed injury hampering him during his recent stretch of play. He didn't really engage with the question, seemingly refused to let that be an excuse for poor performance:
I don't agree with Thompson for telling a reporter doing their job that an injury question is out of bounds. I would, in fact, say that Thompson's health as one of the Sabres' star players is the business of a reporter covering them.
Nonetheless, Thompson's response does feel telling. He's not actually hurt; he's just in a cold streak. We need to remember these kinds of dips sometimes happen to players in the playoffs as the intensity increases. Double that for a player in their postseason debut, getting accustomed to the increased intensity and their nerves, which could apply to Thompson.
Besides, he seemed to find himself with an early goal in Game 3, borne out of dynamite positioning in front of the net:
Tage Thompson has scored three goals and eight points in nine playoff games for the Buffalo Sabres.
During the regular season, Tage Thompson had a standout performance with 40 goals and 81 points in 81 games.
Thompson's struggles are significant because he is the team's leading scorer, and the Sabres have scored two or fewer goals in three playoff games, highlighting the need for his offensive contributions.
Tarik Skubal's recovery from elbow surgery may be cut to 4-6 weeks thanks to a new procedure.
Sean Murphy's status for the Cubs series is uncertain, while Eli White is in concussion protocol after a game injury.
Andy Ibåñez's errors hurt the Mets in their loss to the Diamondbacks.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Could an injured player do that? Hey, I won't lie: Maybe!
But given the complete context of this situation, while seeing how Thompson continues to press with dogged effort, I'd venture to guess he's just working through a cold streak that can happen to anyone. If there's a silver lining fo Buffalo in this situation, it's that players like Thompson seldom stay cold for long.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tage Thompson: What's wrong with Sabres star? How he explained it