Thompson honored for Olympic gold-medal win, then scores in Sabres' 3-2 victory over Golden Knights

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored after being honored for helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal in hockey, and the Buffalo Sabres won their fourth straight game by beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Owen Power and Jason Zucker also scored for the surging Sabres. Buffalo improved to 25-5-2 in its past 32, and its 35 wins through 61 games are the team’s most since having 41 over the same span in 2006-07.

Alex Lyon made 29 saves to improve to 13-2 in his past 15 starts.

Pavel Dorofeyev, with his team-leading 29th goal, and Ivan Barbashev scored and Vegas matched a season-low by losing three straight in regulation. The slumping Golden Knights also dropped to 4-8-2 in their past 14.

Akira Schmid stopped 25 shots.

The Sabres appeared in control by opening a 3-0 lead on Thompson’s goal 5:44 into the second period. Thompson scored his team-leading 33rd goal by accepting Alex Tuch’s no-look pass and beating Schmid high on the far side with a shot from the right circle.

The Golden Knights, however, responded with Barbashev and Dorofeyev scoring 1:37 apart to cut the lead to 3-2 by the 8:27 mark of the period.

Thompson was honored during a pre-game ceremony in Buffalo’s first home game since returning from the Olympic break last week.

Thompson drew loud cheers in taking a ceremonial opening faceoff with fellow Olympian and Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who even attracted applause in facing his former team.

The Golden Knights played without captain Mark Stone, who sustained an undisclosed injury in a 5-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Stone is with the team getting treatment and listed him as day to day.

Golden Knights: Close five-game trip at Detroit on Wednesday.

Sabres: At Pittsburgh on Thursday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid (40) makes a pad save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) meet at center ice prior to the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

PARIS (AP) — Governments across the world scrambled to organize the return of their citizens from the Middle East on Wednesday as travel across the region remained heavily disrupted by the widening Iran war.

The first flight repatriating French citizens stranded in the Middle East landed in Paris early Wednesday as French authorities booked about 100 seats onboard for vulnerable people on a priority list, said Eleonore Caroit, the minister responsible for French Nationals Abroad.

Students also returned to Milan after being evacuated from Dubai by the Italian government. Valerio Schiavoi, a member of the World Students Connection program, said he was part of a group involved in United Nations diplomatic simulations in Dubai.

“We received the news that Iran had been bombed by USA and Israel,” he told Italian news agency LaPresse. “And as soon as we leave the room, we start to hear the sounds of military planes and so on. And the panic starts a bit. Through the window we could see missiles passing by and alarms kept sounding but we didn’t know what to do.”

With airspace closed or heavily restricted across much of the Gulf, passengers have been stranded not only in the region but also in cities far from the fighting after their connecting flights were canceled. Amid the travel chaos and with commercial flights limited, governments have been mounting emergency operations.

The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Another flight carrying French citizens, who were based in Israel and managed to cross the border with Egypt, should arrive in France later Wednesday, Caroit said.

“We are focusing on a priority group — families with children, people affected by illness, old people,” Caroit told TF1 broadcaster. “Our goal is to help repatriate as quickly as possible the French people who wish to return.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said an estimated 400,000 French people are present in the region affected by the conflict, either as residents or temporarily passing through.

More than 20,000 of the more than 36,000 flights scheduled to fly to or from the Middle East between the start of the war and Wednesday have been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The United States told its citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the region right away using any available commercial transportation. The countries include Iran and Israel, as well as Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

In Britain, the government said a chartered flight will take off from Oman late Wednesday to bring back some of the thousands of U.K. nationals in the Gulf. It said the most vulnerable will be prioritized for the first of what is expected to be a series of flights.

The Foreign Office said more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East have registered their presence with the government since the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict broke out, though not all are trying to leave. Many of those are in the UAE, and the government has advised against trying to travel overland to Oman.

Commercial airlines are starting to resume some flights, with Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic all due to operate flights from the UAE to London on Wednesday.

But scores of travelers have struggled to find a way home. Li Qian, a 44-year-old tourist from Hangzhou, has been stuck in Abu Dhabi with her family after airspace closures disrupted their return flight to China. She said she received repeated missile alerts on her mobile phone and saw smoke rising near areas they had visited.

“It was frightening. ... We just want to get home as soon as possible,” she said, adding that she worried about her mother’s high blood pressure medication and her child’s return to school.

Agnes Chen Pun, a Hong Kong expatriate who moved with her family to Dubai last year, said she struggled to find plane tickets to leave the region. She moved first to a resort in Fujairah, then to a desert resort near Sharjah amid fears of potential attacks and local fires.

“We were so nervous, so anxious,” said Chen, a partner at Asia Bankers Club, a Hong Kong- and Dubai-based investment company.

She said she considered a 13-seat private jet costing $268,000 — but ultimately secured commercial tickets for around $2,200 per person to Singapore. Her departure is still uncertain. Despite the disruption, Chen said she plans to return to the UAE once the situation stabilizes.

“I think the scare, the fears, will be short-term,” she said.

Ireland’s foreign minister said Emirates airlines would operate a flight from Dubai to Dublin on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee welcomed the development as the government tried to help some of its estimated 22,000 to 23,000 Irish citizens in the Middle East return home. The Irish government also plans to charter a flight for about 280 people from Oman in the coming days.

Elsewhere, Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it’s sending an “emergency team” to Dubai to reinforce the Norwegian embassy’s team helping an estimated 1,500 Norwegians registered in the city.

Associated Press writers from around the world contributed to this story.

A display in the arrivals terminal of the Henri Coanda International Airport shows cancelled flights originating in Middle East countries, in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Lindsay Elvidge and husband Ric, from Somerset, arrive at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport on a flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

A man celebrates as he arrives at the International Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, after being evacuated from Dubai on a commercial flight, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The flight from Abu Dhabi with passengers returned to Italy arrives at Fiumicino Airport, in Rome, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP)