Sabres’ Tage Thompson settles old score by engaging Devils’ Stefan Noesen in a fight

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson was eager to settle the lingering differences he had with Stefan Noesen on Friday. The New Jersey Devils forward happily obliged.

The two veterans fought 2 1/2 minutes into New Jersey’s 5-0 win in the teams’ first meeting since Noesen leveled Thompson with an elbow to the head in February.

“I think we all know what happened last year. I didn’t really like the hit, and I talked to him,” Thompson said of approaching Noesen during warmups and broaching the possibility of fighting during the game. “He said he would give me one. I respect that.”

Thompson, who leads the Sabres with 12 goals, turned down several offers from his teammates to fight Noesen on his behalf.

“It’s nice that everyone wanted to do it, but I figured I’d take care of my own business,” Thompson said.

Noesen wasn’t made available to the media following the game, but Devils coach Sheldon Keefe had an inkling of what was about to happen.

“I had forgotten all about it, to be honest. But there was some chatter on the bench before puck drop,” Keefe said.

”(Noesen) is an honorable guy. He let me know what might have been coming and wanted my feedback,” the coach added. “I think the chance to get their best player off the ice you’re gonna sign up all day.”

Lined up next to each other for a faceoff in the Sabres zone, the two dropped their gloves and squared off. They exchanged numerous punches in a fight that lasted about 30 seconds and ended with Noesen falling to the ice and the crowd cheering on Thompson.

Both players were issued five-minute majors for fighting.

It looked as if both teams got a lift from a fight in which the 6-foot-6 Thompson had a 5-inch height advantage over Noesen.

“I thought Nase did a great job against a much bigger guy. On our bench we felt the boost from that,” said forward Connor Brown, an offseason addition who unaware of what happened in February. “I have no idea what the context was or anything, but it was a good fight. It was fun to watch.”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was impressed with both players settling their differences on their own.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for that,” said Ruff, a former Sabres captain. “That’s the guy that hit him, the fact he wanted to go after him I thought was great.”

Noesen’s hit on Thompson became a sore spot for several reasons, starting with how it happened.

Thompson was lunging for the puck at the Devils blue line when Noesen knocked it away and continued charging into the Buffalo forward by catching him with his elbow. Noesen’s hit spun Thompson around, knocked off his helmet and sent him face-first to the ice.

Noesen was ejected in being issued a match penalty but did not receive further NHL discipline.

Sabres players, meanwhile, were second-guessed for failing to rally to their teammate’s defense. While Thompson sat out one game, his teammates held a team meeting to address their lack of response.

“We spent time last year on this topic. That topic is really for me it’s behind me,” Ruff said before the game, when reminded of what happened. “I think the way our team has handled every situation really from that point forward, we learned a hard lesson.”

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