Sabres beat Capitals in OT with Bills’ Damar Hamlin on mind
WASHINGTON – Damar Hamlin was forefront in the minds of the Buffalo Sabres from the time they woke up on a game day through the end of their 5-4 overtime victory at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
It was evident from the “LOVE FOR 3” shirts players wore into the arena to Hamlin’s jersey number in Bills colors on the lapel of general manager Kevyn Adams, who did not even want to talk about Tage Thompson‘s hat trick and his team’s seventh victory in eight games. He and the Sabres were entirely focused on Hamlin, the Bills safety who remained hospitalized in critical condition in Cincinnati after collapsing and going into cardiac arrest during Buffalo’s NFL game Monday night against the Bengals.
“What happened last night is something that makes the game itself and any sport secondary, so it was a tough day for all of us,” Adams said in speaking for the organization. “There’s an emotional connection to the city from our team. It was tough, to be honest, this morning, the conversations. But (players) also, I think, know how much our team means to this city and just wanted to be able to go out and do what we could today to put our best foot forward.”
That added up to some incredible symmetry: Thompson scoring three goals, including the third exactly 3 minutes into 3-on-3 OT, on Jan. 3. One of the new faces of the Sabres franchise, Thompson now has 30 goals this season.
Before Thompson shined against Washington, signs bearing Hamlin’s name and the Bills logo lined the glass during pregame warmups. Adams said the idea to wear matching shirts honoring Hamlin came from a conversation among captain Kyle Okposo and others, with players and coaches not speaking to reporters Tuesday because they were still processing the situation.
The Sabres and Bills share the same owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, and consider themselves part of the same organization. Although this was a Buffalo road game, the Capitals paid tribute to Hamlin with a moment of…
