Tage Thompson records his fifth career NHL hat trick

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Tage Thompson of Phoenix, Arizona continued his offensive excellence during the 2022-23 National Hockey League regular season. On Thursday he recorded his fourth hat trick of the season and fifth of his career, in leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 6-5 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

How and when the goals were scored

Thompson scored his first goal of the game at 9:36 of the second period from Jeff Skinner of Toronto, Ontario and Rasmus Dahlin of Lidkoping, Sweden to put the Sabres up 2-1. Thompson then scored from Skinner at 12:20 of the second period to put the Sabres up 3-1. Then in the third period, Thompson put the Sabres up 5-3 with an unassisted marker at 6:18 of the third period.

Four previous hat tricks

Thompson had his first NHL hat trick on February 19, 2022 in a 5-3 Sabres loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He then scored thrice in a game on Halloween, 2022, in an 8-3 Sabres win over the Detroit Red Wings, five goals in a game on December 7, 2022 in a 9-4 Sabres win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then thrice again in a 5-4 Sabres win over the Washington Capitals on January 3, 2023.

2022-23 NHL Statistics

In 56 games, Thompson has 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points. He is a +11 with 24 penalty minutes, 28 power-play points, one shorthanded point, six game-winning goals, 219 shots on goal, 273 faceoff wins, 20 blocked shots, 31 hits, 31 takeaways and 24 giveaways.

Sabres in playoff contention

With the win, the Sabres improved to a record of 29 wins, 23 regulation losses and four losses in extra time for 62 points. Currently there are five teams battling for that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and at this time it is significantly close. The Detroit Red Wings have the eighth spot with 64 points. They are tied with the Florida Panthers, but the Red Wings have the advantage because they have three games in hand. The Pittsburgh Penguins are only one point back of the Red Wings and Panthers with 63 points. Meanwhile, the Sabres are tied with the Capitals with 62 points.

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