Sabers’ Tage Thompson settles old score by battling Devils’ Noesen

The two fighters battled for 2 1/2 minutes in a 5-0 win in the New Jersey teams’ first meeting since Nosen leveled Thompson with an elbow in February.

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

Thompson, who leads the Sabers with 12 goals, turned down several offers from his teammates to fight Nosen on his own.

“It’s nice that everybody wanted to do it, but I thought I’d mind my own business,” Thompson said.

Noesen was not made available to the media following the game, but Devils coach Sheldon Keefe had an inkling of what was to come.

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

“(Noesen) is a respectable guy, he told me what was coming and asked for my opinion,” the coach added. “I think the opportunity to get their best player off the ice is that you’re going to sign up all day.”

The Sabers lined up in front of each other to face off in the zone, both dropped their gloves and squared off. They exchanged several punches in a fight that lasted about 30 seconds and ended with Noesen falling to the ice and the crowd cheering for Thompson.

Both players were issued a five-minute major for fighting.

It seemed as if both teams got a lift from the battle, with the six-foot-six Thompson gaining five inches over Nosen.

“I thought Ness did a great job against a big guy. On our bench we felt a boost from that,” said forward Connor Brown, an offseason addition who was unaware of what happened in February. “I don’t know what the context was or anything, but it was a good fight. It was fun to watch.”

Sabers coach Lindy Ruff was impressed the two players resolved their differences on their own.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for that,” said Ruff, the former Sabers captain. “That’s the guy who killed him, the fact that 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 passing for the puck at the double blue line when Nosen snagged it and caught him with his elbow, continuing to charge at Buffalo. Nosen’s hit spun Thompson around, removing his helmet and sending him to the ice face first.

Noesen was issued a one-match suspension but received no further NHL discipline.

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

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