HIGHLIGHTS
- Tage Thompson scored twice, hitting 40 goals on the season, as the Sabres beat the Blackhawks 5-1 to clinch the Atlantic Division
- Buffalo won a division title for the first time since taking the Northeast Division in 2009-10 after overcoming an eight-plus point deficit earlier this season
- Watch the celebration and see the full breakdown below
The Buffalo Sabres are Atlantic Division champions. Tage Thompson scored twice Monday night, including his 40th goal of the season, and the Sabres rolled past the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 at United Center to lock up their first division title since winning the Northeast Division in 2009-10.
It wasn’t always pretty early on. Ryan Greene gave Chicago a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 3:58 of the first period. But Josh Norris tied it before the intermission, and the Sabres never looked back.
The NHL made it official on X:
Thompson gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead in the second, working the puck away from Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier at the bottom of the left circle and finishing from in front of the net. Alex Tuch then blew the game open in the third with a breakaway goal off a stretch pass from Rasmus Dahlin, who finished with two assists.
Thompson’s second of the night, a one-timer from the left circle off another Dahlin feed, made it 4-1 and gave him 40 on the year. Ryan McLeod added a late goal to round out the scoring. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 15 of 16 shots in net.
Buffalo improved to 50-23-8 on the season and has won four straight. The Sabres are 39-9-4 in their last 52 games. That run made them the fifth team in NHL history to clinch a division title after erasing a deficit of eight or more points in the standings.
Head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t hide his emotions after the game. He called the accomplishment “extremely satisfying” and credited the group for exceeding expectations over the last four months.
Ruff also made it clear the job isn’t done. He said he plans to enjoy the division champions hat for one day before turning his attention to the next one.
This is the seventh time in franchise history the Sabres have finished first in their division. It’s also their 50th win of the season, something the club has only done twice before, in 2005-06 and 2006-07. They entered the night needing a win and some help, and they got both.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin April 18. Buffalo will have home-ice advantage through the first two rounds.
