Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson was named the National Hockey League’s Third Star of the Week, according to a March 9 announcement from the league.
The recognition comes after Thompson recorded seven points, including two goals and five assists, during a week in which the Sabres won all four of their games. In Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay, he achieved a career-high with four assists and extended his point streak to 11 games, also marking a personal best.
Earlier in the week, Thompson and Sabres fans celebrated his gold medal win with Team USA in Milan, where he scored three goals. He followed that achievement by scoring the game-winning goal against Vegas on Tuesday night.
Since Buffalo began its turnaround on December 9 in Edmonton, Thompson has accumulated 47 points over 35 games. This total ranks him fifth among all NHL players during that period, behind only Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl. The alternate captain continues to be recognized as one of hockey’s top forwards.
This is Thompson’s fifth career Star of the Week honor. His previous awards include First Star of the Week on January 17, Second Star honors on February 1 and December 17 in past seasons, as well as another Second Star award on December 10. He is currently projected to score 43 goals this season; he scored 44 last year and had 47 in the previous season. Over the last four seasons combined, his total of 154 goals places him eighth among all NHL players. With his current tally at 395 career points, he is expected to reach the milestone of 400 soon.
