NHL Rink Wrap: Oilers perfect under Woodcroft; Maple Leafs trade Ritchie

So, uh, Tage Thompson, huh?

When a team is in a dire state, a borderline-breakthrough season can sometimes get lost. In a lot of cases, those breakthroughs end up being mirages. Yet, even then, fun tidbits can surface, some as a badge of fan torment honor. Did you know that Dick Tarnstrom led the Penguins in scoring?

Time will tell if Tage Thompson could be a part of the Sabres’ solution, or if we should call him Tage Tarnstrom. (Tarmpson?)

Either way, the extremely tall forward collected his first career hat trick during the Saturday NHL games. That pushed the towering 24-year-old to 19 goals and 37 points in 46 games played. In his previous 145 games, Tage Thompson only collected 35 points. You know, in case you were wondering if he set a new career-high, or ever played anywhere near this well before.

How much do we believe here? Again, unclear. It’s interesting to see Tage Thompson boost his underlying stats in xGAR, not just GAR, at Evolving Hockey:

For some, he may only be tall Tage Thompson. Others might ding him for being in the Ryan O'Reilly trade. But a more positive-leaning Buffalo franchise may try to make the most of things. Let Jeff Skinner just play, bloated contract or not. Don’t let the ROR comparisons leave Thompson slouching in sadness.

Either way, kudos to Thompson for playing hard in a season where others might phone it in.

Check out footage of that Tage Thompson hat trick:

At this point, it’s half-strange to type “Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk.” It feels like he’s been on the verge of being traded for ages. But don’t let that fool you into thinking DeBrusk lacks any talent. Judging from this goal, DeBrusk probably could be a decent contact hitter:

Batter up! ⚾️ @JDebrusk | #NHLBruins