The Buffalo Sabres have struggled with consistency this season, highlighted by a 13-game winless streak that has severely hurt their chances of ending a 13-year playoff drought. Although the team has shown signs of improvement recently, questions about leadership have surfaced following their lack of reaction to a hit on Tage Thompson during 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Early in the third period, Thompson was leveled by Stefan Noesen, who received a match penalty and game misconduct. Surprisingly, none of the Sabres on the ice—or in the remaining 15 minutes of the game—responded physically to the hit. After the game, players downplayed the incident, emphasizing the importance of securing the win.
In response, the Sabres canceled Monday’s practice to hold a team meeting, addressing the situation internally. However, the fallout continues. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his 32 Thoughts column, there’s speculation that changes to the team’s leadership group or alternate captaincies could be underway due to the incident.
When asked about it, head coach Lindy Ruff denied that the absence of new alternate captains for the injured Thompson and Mattias Samuelsson in Tuesday’s game against Columbus was related to Sunday’s events. Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch, both part of the team’s leadership group, had previously worn the “A” earlier in the season.
“There was nothing behind that,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, addressing speculation about changes to the team’s leadership. He explained that the distribution of alternate captain letters is based on specific segments of the season, stating, “The sharing of the letters is based on the first 40 or last 40 games. The two (Thompson and Samuelsson) that were out had the letters on them.”
Forward Jason Zucker also weighed in on Thursday, emphasizing that, despite external criticism, the team took the incident seriously and addressed it internally.
However, the fight between Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert and the Blue Jackets’ Mathieu Olivier on Tuesday seemed like too little, too late. The expected response should’ve come immediately after the hit on Tage Thompson, either targeting Stefan Noesen or sending a message by going after one of New Jersey’s top players. Anything less failed to demonstrate that the Sabres stand up for their teammates, leaving a lingering sense of inadequacy around the team’s response.
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