The Buffalo Sabres may have won three games in a row, but Monday’s incident involving Tage Thompson took precedence over their win. That’s because Stefan Noesen’s illegal check on Thompson didn’t elicit any response from his teammates. While the devastating wipeout by the New Jersey Devils player invited a penalty, no one came to Thompson’s defense.

Fans were shocked to no end, watching none of the Sabres bat an eye on an offense that would otherwise start a brawl. The lack of response was so bizarre that head coach Lindy Ruff called a team meeting after their 4-3 win against the Devils. However, the meeting seems to have had an immediate effect, as it took just a few seconds for the gloves to come off tonight.

“The Sabres had a team meeting today, and came out swinging tonight,” posted B/R Open Ice. The accompanying clip captured Tage Thompson’s teammate Dennis Gilbert throwing down against Mathieu Olivier right off the opening draw. The fight didn’t go Gilbert’s way, with Olivier dropping the defenseman with an overhand. However, the team meeting seems to have done the trick.

The change came so swiftly because coach Lindy Ruff didn’t like what he saw and was direct about calling it out during the meet. It’s not uncommon for entire team brawls to break out for far fewer offenses than the illegal check by Stefan Noesen. Take the recent Connor McDavid suspension, for example. The entire Canucks and Oilers team joined in the brawl after McDavid’s high cross-check offense and dismissal.

However, it barely phased Tage Thompson’s teammates, as none of the Buffalo Sabres even gave him a helping hand while standing up. As per Sabre’s columnist Mike Harrington, Ruff didn’t beat around the bush in pointing out what the Sabres did wrong. “It was dealt with yesterday… What happened last game won’t happen again,” Sabre’s forward Alex Tuch said after the meeting. Yet, at that moment, the Sabres failed to assess just how serious the incident was.

The infraction left its mark on Tage Thompson

Thompson picked himself up before taking off the ice after taking Noesen to the face. However, he later had to undergo concussion-related tests to determine the extent of the injury. Thankfully, Thompson cleared the tests. Ruff said Thompson “passed all the tests” and would be able to attend practice. He also commented on the foul and the penalty that followed.

“Definitely a hit that you don’t like. That penalty was well deserved,” added the head coach. However, despite getting an all-clear, Thompson was not part of the starting lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, Stefan Noesen’s actions were serious enough to put him under the lens of disciplinary action far beyond a simple penalty.

Shortly after the Devils lost to the Sabres, news surfaced that Noesen may be facing a suspension following his reckless tackle. Luckily, the player with 18 goals this NHL season didn’t face any further penalties. “Noesen will not face any supplemental discipline for his hit,” The Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek posted on X. However, the incident did ring alarm bells for the Sabre’s squad, and after some soul-searching, it seems everyone is finally on the same page.