TEMPE, Ariz. — Tage Thompson scored for the third straight game and had two assists for the Buffalo Sabers in a 5-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Saturday.
Thompson has 25 goals this season, and 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in his past eight games. He and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are the NHL’s first two 25-goal scorers this season.
“He’s so hot right now, everything he touches [goes in],” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “His teammates try to find him all the time, whenever he’s open, the puck is going to him. You cannot make one mistake, because they always know where he is.”
Jeff Skinner scored twice and had an assist in his return from a three-game suspension, and Alex Tuch had three assists for the Sabers (15-14-2), who have won three in a row. Craig Anderson made 29 saves.
“Any time you’re away from the game, watching, it gives you that little bit of hunger to get back in there,” Thompson said of Skinner, who was suspended for an illegal cross-check on the Pittsburgh Penguins forward. Jake Guentzel on Dec. 9. “I know he was itching to get in there and he had a great game.”
Barrett Hayton and Shayne Gostisbehere scored for the Coyotes (10-15-4), who were playing the second of a back to back after defeating the New York Islanders 5-4 on Friday. Connor Ingram made 38 saves.
“We were keeping it simple,” Thompson said. “We knew they’d played last night, and I think our game plan was just to keep it simple and wear them down.”
Thompson’s power-play goal at 10:07 of the third period put Buffalo ahead 3-2. Ingram went down to stop Dylan Cozens‘shot and, after a scramble in which the puck was briefly covered up by the Arizona defenseman JJ MoserThompson scored on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle.
“It’s a big-time [play] in the game,” Thompson said. “We knew it was a big power play. [Ingram] made a big stop on ‘Cuzzy,’ but we got everyone digging for it and it pops loose, and I’m sitting right off to the side. It was a big one for us. It was good to get the lead there and just close it out.”
Video: BUF@ARI: Thompson one-times puck into net for PPG
Gostisbehere gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 3:35 of the first period with a one-timer from the point on a power play.
Skinner responded at 6:34 to tie it 1-1 with the first of his two power-play goals when his shot from the left face-off circle deflected off Ingram’s glove and Skinner’s shoulder into the net.
Hayton put Arizona ahead 2-1 at 12:16 of the second period when he stole the puck from a defenseman. Lawrence Pilut at the Arizona blue line and scored on a breakaway, his first goal in 29 games.
“He never showed his emotions, his frustration [at not scoring]he just kept working every day,” Tourigny said. “To break the ice is huge for him and hopefully, going forward, that will take a lot of pressure off his shoulders.”
Video: BUF@ARI: Skinner converts return feed for second goal
Skinner’s second goal tied it 2-2 at 16:42, a one-timer off Ingram’s glove. Rasmus Dahlin‘s no-look pass. Dahlin had two assists.
“Skinner coming back in the lineup was significant, very impactful,” Sabers coach Don Granato said. “We kept battling, it wasn’t easy. That’s not an easy team to play against.”
Tyson Jost‘s empty-net goal at 18:32 made it 4-2, and Kyle Okposo scored into an empty net off Skinner’s pass at 19:08 for the 5-2 final.
All three players on Buffalo’s top line — Skinner, Thompson and Tuch — had three points.
“The team’s been rolling pretty well lately and had a good last couple of games, so I just tried to slide in there and read them off,” Skinner said.
NOTES: Thompson has 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in his past 24 games, and has three or more points in seven games; only McDavid (nine) has more. Thompson reached the 25-goal mark in 31 games; only Pat LaFontaine (25 games in 1991-92) and Alexander Mogilny (28 games in 1992-93) did so faster in Sabers history. … Skinner has 14 points in a seven-game personal point streak (six goals, eight assists). … Tuch has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in his past 16 games. … The Coyotes had won three straight at home. … Arizona forward Liam O’Brien is week to week with an upper-body injury.
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