Tage Thompson has become a major concern for the Buffalo Sabres in their playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens—and not just because his scoring touch has gone cold.

In Friday night's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the star goal scorer made a costly mistake that directly led to a Montreal goal. With the game already slipping away, Thompson slipped and turned over the puck, allowing Alexandre Carrier to skate in uncontested and give the Canadiens a commanding 4-1 lead.

Unfortunately, that moment summed up Thompson's night. Too often, he tried to do too much—passing up open looks, spinning away from pressure, and forcing plays that weren't there. The turnover to Carrier wasn't an isolated incident; it was part of a pattern of risky decisions that have hurt Buffalo's momentum.

It's a stark contrast to Thompson's heroics earlier in these playoffs. During the first round against the Boston Bruins, he scored two clutch goals in Game 1. But since then, he's gone quiet—failing to score in the remaining five games against Boston, then going scoreless in Game 1 against Montreal, and remaining off the scoresheet in Game 2 before that pivotal mistake.

Thompson led the Sabres in goals during the regular season, but that production hasn't carried over to the postseason. He's struggled on the power play, where the first unit has been out of sync, and he hasn't found his rhythm at even strength either. For Buffalo to make a deep playoff run, they need their top scorer to rediscover his game—and fast.

As the series shifts to Montreal, all eyes will be on Thompson to see if he can shake off this slump and become the difference-maker the Sabres desperately need.