Injury likely contributing to Sabres star Tage Thompson’s struggles

In the last five games, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson has registered zero goals, two assists, four shots on goal and five penalty minutes.

Not surprisingly, the Sabres are 0-5-0 in those contests.

This isn’t meant to be a criticism of Thompson, Buffalo’s offensive catalyst. He has a history playing through injuries and refusing to make excuses.

Right now, something is clearly hampering him. The lower-body injury that forced him to miss five games last month might be wreaking havoc.

Thompson, 27, isn’t himself. Meanwhile, the Sabres carry a 13-game winless skid (0-10-3) into Monday’s road contest against the New York Islanders, their final outing before the Christmas break.

The Sabres rank dead last in the NHL. Unless they break out of their funk soon and rattle off several wins in a row, their season is essentially over.

A healthy Thompson would help ignite a team that has completely unraveled. The Sabres won their last game Nov. 23, one month ago.

Last week, Thompson recorded zero shots in consecutive games for the first time since March 2019, his first season with the Sabres. He had three outings in which he did not register a shot all of last season. He has attempted just 19 shots in the last five games, including two contests with two attempts.

He has mustered zero points in the last three contests. His five-game goal drought is his longest since a seven-game goalless stretch in January, when he was possibly still battling the effects of a broken hand.

His most memorable moment last week was fighting Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly early in Friday’s 6-3 loss.

Thompson has scored five goals and seven points in 13 games since returning from his injury. He came back as the Sabres began their implosion. He had eight goals and 18 points in 16 contests when he left the lineup.

His expected goals is just 5.27, down from 13.13 last season.

You get the idea. Thompson is the Sabres’ most valuable forward, and they sorely need him to get healthy so he can produce.