Sabres Beat Ducks 7-6 as Tage Thompson Scores Natural Hat Trick, Buffalo Survives Late Rally

The Buffalo Sabres fell behind by two goals twice in the first period, then scored six in a row and hung on for a wild 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Thursday night. Tage Thompson led the way with a natural hat trick and two assists, NHL.com reported.

Anaheim made it uncomfortable at the end, scoring three times in the third period, including twice with its goalie pulled in the final 68 seconds, before Buffalo held on.

Sabres vs. Ducks: how the game went

The Ducks started fast with two quick power-play goals during back-to-back Buffalo penalties. Mikael Granlund redirected a puck in on a 5-on-3 at 1:57 of the first period, and Cutter Gauthier one-timed a shot from the right circle at 2:54 for a 2-0 lead.

Tyson Kozak cut it to 2-1 at 10:03, but Roger McQueen answered 35 seconds later with his first NHL goal, in his eighth game, for a 3-1 Anaheim lead. McQueen was the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, per NHL.com.

Then Buffalo took over:

1. Noah Ostlund scored on a power-play one-timer to make it 3-2.
2. Thompson tied it 3-3 by carrying the puck in with speed and getting around defenseman Tristan Luneau.
3. Thompson put Buffalo ahead 4-3 at 18:36 of the second period with a one-timer off a face-off win.
4. Fifteen seconds later, at 18:51, he finished a backhand from in close to complete the natural hat trick, 5-3.
5. Jack Quinn redirected a power-play goal at 1:57 of the third for 6-3.
6. Zach Benson scored on a breakaway at 6:37 for 7-3.

Anaheim didn’t go quietly. Gauthier added his second power-play goal at 7:26 of the third, Luneau scored with Ville Husso pulled with 1:08 left, and Beckett Sennecke made it 7-6 with 31 seconds remaining, also on a 6-on-5. Buffalo held on from there.

Tage Thompson’s big night

It was Thompson’s 10th career NHL hat trick. NHL.com said that tied him with Danny Gare and Alexander Mogilny for the third-most in Sabres history, and with Jeremy Roenick and Jimmy Carson for the sixth-most by a U.S.-born player.

“Some games you get chances and they don’t go in for you,” Thompson said, per NHL.com. “Some games you don’t get any chances and, somehow, you find one, and some games you get a lot of chances and they all go in for you. Tonight was one of those games.”

Other Buffalo contributors:

• Zach Benson: one goal, two assists
• Peyton Krebs: three assists, after moving up to the top line in place of the injured Konsta Helenius, according to the NHL.com preview
• Rasmus Dahlin: two assists
• Colten Ellis: 29 saves

Defenseman Olen Zellweger picked up an assist in his first game against Anaheim since the Ducks traded him to Buffalo on June 26.

Anaheim Ducks: another one that got away

The Ducks fell to 5-7-1 and have lost seven of eight (1-6-1). The loss came two days after a 6-5 overtime defeat to the Vancouver Canucks in which Anaheim blew a three-goal lead with 7:37 left in regulation, NHL.com reported.

Leo Carlsson had three assists, his third straight multipoint game, and Gauthier scored twice. Husso allowed seven goals on 31 shots.

“I liked the way we hung in there and tried to find a way, but the puck’s going in too easily,” coach Joel Quenneville said. Carlsson added, “I just feel like we’re not on the same page.”

What’s next

The Sabres (6-4-3) have won two in a row and earned points in the first three games of a four-game road trip (2-0-1). The Ducks will look to snap their skid in their next game.

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