BUFFALO – In each of the last two games, Sabres center Tage Thompson has confidently freewheeled through the neutral zone and carried the puck with authority into enemy territory.

In Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win, he beat Detroit Red Wings star Alex DeBrincat in the left circle before cutting to the net and tucking the puck past goalie John Gibson as he fell to the ice.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Thompson nearly scored a similar goal in Monday’s 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, but as he drove past defenseman Mattias Ekholm in the right circle, they got tangled up. Thompson crashed into the net before he could shoot.

Those assertive plays help illustrate why Thompson, a natural center who has spent most of this season playing right wing, feels more comfortable in the middle.

He loves the responsibility that accompanies the position and being more involved in plays and moving his feet.

“I just feel like I can get the puck with speed coming up the ice, and I feel like one of my strengths is carrying the puck with speed and attacking with speed,” Thompson told the Times Herald following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “I feel like you can do that a little bit easier when you’re playing center, kind of wind it up instead of standing still as a winger, starting from a dead stop.

“I just feel like you’re involved in most of the play, too, which gets me into the game.”

Coach Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres host the Calgary Flames tonight, shifted Thompson to center after he mustered zero shots on goal in last Wednesday’s 5-2 road loss to the Utah Mammoth.

The move paid immediate dividends, as Thompson compiled one goal, two points and five shots in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Following that game, he told reporters he “felt like himself” and “felt way better in the middle.”

Thompson, 28, performed dynamically in Detroit, registering one goal, two points and six shots. He created defenseman Mattias Samuelsson’s winner by thumping the diminutive DeBrincat so hard Ruff joked “he almost threw him through the end of the rink.”

The American, who has been centering Josh Doan and Alex Tuch, scored an empty-net goal against the Oilers and recorded three shots.

Overall, the nine goals and 17 points he has registered in 19 games this season both lead the team.

Of course, there are notable reasons Thompson spent most of the second half of last season and the early portion of this campaign playing right wing.

Ruff moved him there after Christmas to help him deal with an injury. He played so well on the side and the Sabres possessed depth down the middle, so he stayed put.

Thompson finished the season with 44 goals and 72 points in 76 games.

“I can just tell you his numbers last year when he was at center and his numbers when he played the wing, his points per game were better, so it kind of leaned to having him over there,” Ruff said. “Right now, it leans toward leaving him right in the middle. He’s playing well, skating well. It’s a great situation to be in.”

While Thompson has told the coaching staff he prefers to pivot a line, he’s willing to play any position.

If Sabres center Josh Norris returns from his upper-body injury later this month, he could become a winger again. They’re also missing center Jiri Kulich, who recently left the lineup because of blood clots.

“I think when we have talks, I let them know that I feel better in the middle,” Thompson said. “Obviously, they’re going to make the decisions that they think is best for the team. I’m willing to play anywhere, but, yeah, I feel most natural in the middle.”

– Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring, who left Saturday’s game after suffering a lower-body injury, will be sidelined “an extended period of time,” Ruff said.

“On the longer side,” he. “Weeks.”

Kesselring departed the contest after he hit Red Wings forward Emmitt Finnie about halfway through the game. He took another shift later in the second period and one early in the third before departing.

The newcomer has been wearing a walking boot on his left foot.

Prior to joining the Sabres this season, Kesselring said he had never been injured. Now, he has gone down twice in seven weeks.

He also suffered a knee injury late in the preseason that kept him out of the first nine games. After returning, he registered zero points in nine outings.

Meanwhile, Ruff said winger Zach Benson, 20, will likely participate in this morning’s pregame skate after missing the last eight games with a lower-body injury.

“I talked to him this morning, he’s doing well,” Ruff said.

In other news, Ruff said Samuelsson, goalie Colten Ellis and winger Jordan Greenway and all had maintenance days from Tuesday’s practice.