The Buffalo Sabres edged out the New Jersey Devils 4-3, but the real big news of the evening wasn’t closing out the win—that was a formality. What everyone in Capital District’s MVP Sports Complex, and many at home, waited in anticipation for was a reaction when Tage Thompson, hands down Capital District’s best player, took a nasty headshot courtesy of a swing by Devils winger Stefan Noesen, sending his helmet flying and bringing him down face-first on the ice.

Surprisingly, his teammates continued skating pretty unfazed as if nothing had happened—and that infuriated NHL veterans On Spittin’ Chiclets.

The clip of the hit became a sensation, and when current and former players saw what happened, a quick reaction ensued. It was an embarrassment, a reflection of all that’s gone wrong in Buffalo for 20 years. Paul Bissonnette did not hold back: “Pathetic. It made me angry.” He also talked about how the lack of any concern for their best player is unacceptable. “It’s a broken culture. You’re not gonna fight for your best f****** player when he gets laid out, when you’re sitting dead last in the… are they dead last in the league, or just in the east?” asked a furious Bissonnette, confused about exactly how bad Sabres’ situation is.

Moments like these shape a character in a group. Teammates usually go crazy when an opponent takes liberties with a superstar player. But when Thompson lay motionless on the ice, not one Sabre winced.

The lack of urgency was surreal. Players failed even to congregate near him in alarm, much less attack Noesen for having thrown him. It was a general lack of concern that was breathtaking to behold. Former Oiler Ryan Whitney, visibly shocked, captured it best: “Thompson is laying there crippled in a ball, and you just see Sabres players skating around like nothing happened. It was so wild to not see something happen immediately.”

Ex-Ranger Keith Yandle even went as far as to say that kids have a better understanding of what genuine care is than Thompson’s Buffalo Sabres teammates. “I would’ve rather them just go over to him like little kids, crowd around him, and make sure he’s okay—because what they did was nothing. Absolutely nothing.” And honestly, there cannot be much disagreement there, as the Rangers’ apathy on the ice was followed by a rather lukewarm response off it.

A moment that reopened a wider issue for Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo’s struggles over the past two decades have gone beyond missed playoff berths and failed rebuilds—it’s been a team without a true identity. And now, on a night when they could’ve made a statement, they failed once again.

Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff tried defending the team’s response, or the lack thereof, afterwards, stating a few of them did try but failed, with a hope that a proper opportunity will arise in the future. “I know I had a couple guys that wanted to go after [Noesen] right away. Where we were at in the game, there was going to be a time to even the score.” But this did not sit well with critics. That was then and there. That wasn’t payback—that was sending a message that Buffalo wasn’t about to be bullied anymore.

The Sabres have not played a meaningful contest in years, and for many of them, it helped remind them why. Even Rasmus Dahlin, the captain, agreed that the lack of response was unacceptable. “That cannot happen again,” he stated in a post-game press conference, acknowledging the issue at hand.

But not everyone in Buffalo’s dressing room shared a problem with it. Old-timer Jason Zucker played down the whole incident and emphasized that Sabres did win. “Our answer is, we won,” he said.“(Noesen) made two plays that cost their team the win. So we’ll take that all day,” he added. Tage Thompson narrowly avoided a serious injury, passing all tests for a concussion, and will soon re-enter the lineup. His 26 goals rank him in a tie for 10th in the NHL, and at 48 points in 47 games, Buffalo’s best and most significant player stands at a critical juncture in its rebuild.