Sabres Reflect On Thompson And Team USA’s Winning Effort At Olympics

The Buffalo Sabres practiced at LECOM Harborcenter after a day off on Saturday, but took time before hitting the ice to watch the epic Team USA overtime victory over Team Canada. Head coach Lindy Ruff and a number of players gave their thoughts on the games and Thompson’s performance in Milano Cortina. 

Ruff on the game and the Jack Hughes OT winner:

We watched the whole game. Unbelievable game, when you look at missed opportunities, empty nets, missed five-on-three, where the greatest players didn't get a goal. You saw some unbelievable saves. I know Canada kind of took control in the second. But a goaltender can make a difference for you. And (Connor Hellebuyck) held him in there. That paddle save he made, just by reaching back, was an incredible save. And three-on-three, it's anybody's game. You make a mistake or you get a chance, and you give one up. The players on both sides are good enough to make the other team pay, and Jack did.

On the health of Thompson after he missed the third period of the Slovakia game:

We got a pretty early report that sounded promising, which eased some of that pain. I thought for being involved in one of the greatest tournaments, Tage handled himself and represented our team really well, and played well. I think the plan is he's coming in on Monday night. I'm pretty sure he'll want to play. We'll see how that goes.

On Thompson's fit playing in a best-on-best tournament:

I think he got to feel everything. He got to feel the high of a team that really was playing well and doing well, and then he got the feel of the two best teams in the world are playing, and it wasn't easy. There was a big part of that game where Canada pretty well dominated, but there's times where you can take momentum in the game, and there's times where you got to wait for your opportunity. I looked at that first 40 minutes, I thought Tage had two of the better chances to score in the game, just being in the right position. But there wasn't much when it comes to end to end and handling the puck. It was more of once you got it down low, trying to create an inside opportunity, and both teams were doing a pretty good job of packing it inside.

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Jason Zucker on the Olympics:

You don't get to see best on best hockey very often, especially in the Olympics. It's been a little while, so it was fun to watch, and I think everybody enjoyed it........It was pretty cool, especially when you know some of the guys play against them on a daily basis; it's pretty cool to see. You're rooting for guys you normally aren't rooting for. It was great for us to be able to see Tage be a part of that.

Mattias Samuelsson on USA Hockey finally beating Canada:

I was super happy for Tage, but just USA Hockey as a whole. Kind of been a part of some of the lower-level teams and the pride that comes with it, and obviously, the Olympics are the biggest stage, so it's huge for USA Hockey (and) as a country, as well.

Alex Tuch on the US victory:

(It was a) little bit of a shock. I feel like it was just such a crazy game, to see that puck go in, and we actually had to run right over to practice there. But it was awesome. USA winning was really special. I'm really happy for those guys…….(It was a) little bit of a shock. I feel like it was just such a crazy game, to see that puck go in, and we actually had to run right over to practice there. But it was awesome. USA winning was really special. I'm really happy for those guys. 

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