Five minutes in, Noesen took a run at Thompson near Buffalo’s offensive blue line, drilling him with an elbow to the head. The Sabres’ leading scorer required assistance off the ice and his three-point afternoon was cut short.
“Definitely a hit that you don’t like,” Ruff said. “That penalty was well deserved.”
Sabres players who spoke after the game lamented their lack of an immediate response to the hit, as well as the fact that Noesen, who received a match penalty, avoided any further repercussions for his malicious check.
“We have to work on that,” said captain Rasmus Dahlin. “I think that’s a thing that cannot happen.”
Ruff said players on the bench had the intention of responding, but Jack Hughes’ shorthanded goal on the subsequent power play cut their lead to one and the team’s focus shifted to protecting its lead down the stretch.
“I know I had a couple of guys that wanted to go after him right away,” Ruff said.
Asked about the outside perception that the Sabres were unwilling to respond, Ruff replied: “Bulls–t.”