2. Anderson returns
Craig Anderson was back on the ice with the Sabres for their morning skate. He has not played since March 21 due to an upper-body injury but has remained an active member of the team behind the scenes.
Granato recalled one instance when he walked into the dressing room and saw Levi sitting with Anderson, picking the veteran's brain.
"I walk in and I see him, then I walk out," Granato said. "Twenty minutes later, he's still asking questions. [Anderson] is very good to have around for that and obviously he's done well on the ice for us as well this year."
### 3. Mittelstadt's chemistry
In the event Thompson cannot play, the Sabres have a proven option on their top line in Mittelstadt. He had six assists in three games filling in for Thompson between Skinner and Tuch, including a three-assist outing in Philadelphia last Saturday.
"Casey does an incredible job of buying time and space and drawing defenders away to open up linemates or open up other options," Granato said. "… Tucher and Skinny know how to take advantage of the time and space that Mittelstadt's creating for them."
### 4. Moving forward
The Panthers moved into a Wild Card spot with their victory on Tuesday while the Sabres fell to six points out. The Sabres still have six games remaining, however, while the three teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race - the New York Islanders, Florida, and Pittsburgh - each have four.
Granato said after the loss that he wanted the Sabres to turn their attention to the opportunity that remained in front of them.
"The driving force is we have to get ready for that next game," he said. "We can't dwell one bit. You turn to it immediately."
Pittsburgh (7 p.m. vs. Minnesota), Florida (7 p.m. vs. Ottawa), and New York (7:30 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay) all play tonight.
Here's the Wild Card picture as it stands currently.
| Team | GP | Points | P% | Reg. W | ROW |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WC1 - Florida Panthers | 78 | 87 | .558 | 34 | 38 |
| WC2 - New York Islanders | 78 | 87 | .558 | 33 | 38 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 86 | .551 | 29 | 37 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 76 | 81 | .533 | 28 | 36 |
| Ottawa Senators | 78 | 81 | .519 | 29 | 35 |
### 5. Scouting the Red Wings
The Red Wings are coming off a 5-0 victory in Montreal on Tuesday, their fourth win in their last five games. Ville Husso, who will start tonight, made 24 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.
The Sabres are 3-0-0 against the Red Wings this season, including a 5-4 victory in their previous visit to Detroit on November 30. The Red Wings stormed back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period of that game, but the Sabres killed a late 5-on-3 penalty and won in a shootout.
"This is a team that's playing very high-tempo hockey, very loose, and they're dangerous as a result," Granato said. "And they're dangerous because they have good hockey players. So, it's imperative that we shifted our attention really quick to this because it's obviously a game that we need."
