BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Mike Sullivan had a funny answer after Thursday's practice when he was asked about how his team can stop Sabres forward Tage Thompson in the Penguins' back-to-back series against the Sabres this weekend.
Thompson had just scored five goals in the Sabres previous game, a 9-4 win over the Blue Jackets.
"Well, we're going to try to stop him from scoring five goals," Sullivan quipped.
"Obviously, he's emerged as an elite player," Sullivan continued. "Last season we saw it in his game. This year he's brought it to another level. He's a dynamic offensive player, he's dangerous with his shot. Their power play in particular is really humming right now and he's a big part of it with his one-timer. He can score goals different ways, that's an indication of an elite player in the league. I think Tage has really emerged in that capacity. We know that's a big challenge for us, we're going to have to have an awareness when he's on the ice. We're going to have to have a certain diligence both with and without the puck and we're going to try to make it a difficult game for him."
Thompson, 25, is a sixth-year pro in his fifth season with the Sabres. He set career highs in goals (38) assists (30) and points (68) last season in 78 games, and he's on pace to shatter those totals this season. Through the first 26 games of the season he leads the Sabres in goals (21) and points (40). He's scored 11 of his goals at even strength, nine on the power play and one shorthanded.
The Sabres have scored more goals (105) than any other team in the league this season, and Thompson has been a direct factor in 38% of them.
Thompson a threat anytime he's on the ice, and shutting down that threat is going to be key for the Penguins getting a win in Buffalo.
I asked Teddy Blueger after the Penguins' morning skate here in Buffalo how they can do that.
"He's got a big shot," Blueger said. "So try to limit his time and space in the offensive zone and on the power play. Then off the rush he's obviously got great hands. Just trying to limit their transition game as a whole, I think, is one of the keys for us. I think just staying on them, giving them all that space, being physical on them, all those things."
Josh Archibald expressed the same sentiment.
"Just taking his time and space away," he said. "Not letting him get his speed up with the puck. And then obviously, he's a big threat on the power play. So just doing what we can to take that one-timer away and keep him under pressure so they don't have plays like that."
Beyond Thompson, this Sabres team seems to have turned a corner and is no longer one of the league's bottom-feeders. They're not quite a playoff team yet, and currently sit six points out of the final wild card spot with a 12-13-1 record. But this is certainly a more dangerous Sabres team than in previous seasons, and the Penguins are aware of that coming into this game.
"I think they got some young, really good talent," Archibald said. "They've got a couple of older guys that are a good leadership group. It's a good, high-powered offensive team. It'll be good challenge for us tonight."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• It was an optional skate. Participants were Chad Ruhwedel, Kris Letang, Ryan Poehling, Archibald, Evgeni Malkin, Blueger, and Casey DeSmith
• Tristan Jarry will start.
• Letang will not play tonight. Poehling, who is recovering from an upper-body injury, has been cleared for contact but is still out of the lineup.
• Archibald, who missed yesterday's practice with a maintenance day, told me that he's good to go for tonight.
• Letang was wearing a tinted visor in practice, something that seems like it may be to help him with light sensitivity due to his migraines. Letang wasn't made available to speak with reporters after the skate to ask about it.
• Blueger shared his thoughts on DeSmith's Winter Classic mask, which includes former Penguins Bryan Hextall and Jim Rutherford on one side, Roberto Clemente on the other side, and the teddy bear character Ted from the 2012 Seth MacFarlane movie on the back.
"I thought it was great, actually," Blueger said. "Yeah, I liked it a lot. It's finally nice to see him switch it up a little bit. I think it looks great. And obviously Ted on the back is pretty funny. Just the theme he went with was cool."
Blueger, who designed one of DeSmith's masks for him last season, said that he wasn't surprised that DeSmith didn't let him help with this one too.
"I assumed he wouldn't anymore," he said. "I think he blames my mask for some bad games he had last year. He thinks it brought him some bad luck or something."
Blueger said that DeSmith wouldn't admit it, but he thinks the Ted character on the back of the mask is a tribute to him.
• Craig Anderson will start for Buffalo.
