Sharpen Up: December 6, 2016

Not a lot of time to dwell on last night's 3-2 overtime loss in Washington. The Sabres are right back it tonight with a home game against the Edmonton Oilers, who have been here waiting.
Here's what you need to know.

Buffalo had a lead in the third period last night, but the Capitals, well, they capitalized on a power-play opportunity with 6:18 left to tie the game. The Sabres had their own chance with the man advantage with 3:12 to go, but mustered just one shot on goal in the two-minute span.

Rasmus Ristolainen had perhaps the Sabres' best chance in overtime, but couldn't connect on a feed from Ryan O'Reilly in front of the net. Marcus Johansson ended up scoring 2:38 into the extra period to lift Washington to victory. Check out the recap for more.
Let's hear from inside the locker room after the game:

"Their power play is dangerous," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. "I thought we did a good job of killing them off in the first period but the second goal, the goal that they needed there with six minutes left, was a direct result of the penalty kill. We had our chances on the power play … We weren't able to come up with it."

"Our execution was kind of poor," Kyle Okposo, who scored to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead late in the second period, said. "It just seemed like we weren't in sync, we just weren't making the play that we normally do. Next game I think we just have to bear down and make sure that we're back to being simple."

"In the end, we're not winning hockey games with one good period," Robin Lehner, who made 30 saves, said. "We see that we can play, so we've just got to stop changing how we play."
Zemgus Girgensons scored his second of the season on a great pass in the neutral zone from Derek Grant. While his highlight-reel goal was scored on the rush, he knows that the team has to be even more involved down in the area around the crease.

"We tried to get the puck to the net," said Girgensons. "I think it's a good sign, we're going harder to the net now, getting those dirty goals maybe if that's what you call them. I think it's a good sign that we're getting there."

A tweak of the ankle

Jack Eichel appeared to tweak his left ankle early in the second period when he got pinned along the boards. However, he didn't miss a shift and according to Bylsma, it's going to be a bit of a process for Eichel to get used to it and as far as he can tell, Eichel should be OK to go tonight. We'll have more information later today.

Tonight's matchup

The Sabres and Oilers meet for the second and final time this season. It's also only the second time Eichel and Connor McDavid will square off in an NHL game. Eichel missed the first game this year with his high-ankle sprain.
Buffalo won 6-2 back on Oct. 16 and McDavid was held to one shot on goal, no points and a minus-1 rating.

Defensively, it could be a challenge as the Sabres are still without some key contributors on their blue line. Josh Gorges (foot) and Zach Bogosian (sprained MCL) are still a few weeks from returning. Dmitry Kulikov (lower back) has been skating and practicing, but may not be ready until Friday's rematch with Washington. Taylor Fedun is day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
As with Eichel, we'll update you once we know more.

On tap today

The Sabres will hold a team meeting today at KeyBank Center in preparation of tonight's game in lieu of a morning skate. Stick with us throughout the day for lineup news and notes.
Then join us for the TOPS Gamenight pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. The game can also be heard live on WGR 550.
If you want to be in the building for this one, you're in luck. Great seats (including Family Packs) can still be yours.
Today on Sabres.com, we'll also have an Amerks Update as we look at what's been going down on the farm with the Rochester Americans.