Sharpen Up: April 16, 2021 | Pride Game set for tomorrow afternoon

The Buffalo Sabres put together what was possibly their best effort from start to finish last night in a 5-2 road victory over the Washington Capitals.
Dustin Tokarski shined in net making 27 saves for his first NHL win since the 2015-16 season. Five different Sabres scored, including Anders Bjork, who recorded his first goal in a Buffalo uniform.
The win improved the Sabres' record to 5-2-3 over their last 10 games.
Buffalo will practice today at KeyBank Center as they prepare to open up a jam-packed homestand that begins tomorrow. The homestand features five games in seven days.
The Sabres will play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 3 p.m. on NBC and WGR 550. Buffalo and Pittsburgh have partnered up to hold the NHL's first joint Pride Game. We have details for you below.
Here's what you need to know.

A look back at last night

Our Postgame Report has all of the details.
The victory Thursday was marked Tokarski's first since Dec. 12, 2015 - a span of five years and 124 days. It's the 16th-longest stretch between wins in league history, according to NHL Stats. (The longest belongs to Gordie Bell, who went 10 years and 119 days between wins from 1945 to 1956.)
"He deserves it," Casey Mittelstadt, who scored his sixth goal in nine games, said. "He's played so well since he's been here. I think he fires the guys up, too, on the bench. You can see how hard he's battling and making big saves. He's done a great job. … It was a super good moment for him tonight and it was nice to be a part of it."

Tokarski credited his teammates for a strong performance in which they outchanced the Capitals, 29-26 (according to NaturalStatTrick.com).
"The guys were incredible," he said. "It's been quite the season for everybody, but it showed tonight in the grit and the passion. This team has a bunch of gamers in it. I think there's a bright future here."

Interim head coach Don Granato preached the dangers of complacency afterward but admitted to the fun being had by a young group that seems hellbent on making the most if its final month.
"We want to keep improving and getting better," Granato said. "But when you watch your players enjoy and immerse in the moment because they're enjoying the moment, it's hard not to have fun."

Kyle Okposo exited the game 9:27 in when he was struck in the head by a Matt Irwin shoot-in. Granato did not have an update on his status afterwards.
"It's an awful feeling, a terrible feeling," Granato said. "Not only when a guy gets injured but then how it happened. You feel bad for two guys at that point, honestly."
Buffalo's injury list also includes forwards Jack Eichel, Riley Sheahan and Zemgus Girgensons, defensemen Jake McCabe and Will Borgen, and goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton.
Read more in the Postgame Report.

Pride Game is tomorrow

The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community as they co-host the NHL's first-ever joint Pride Game on Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The game will be nationally televised on NBC at 3 p.m.
The Sabres and Penguins' Pride Game aims to bring together two cities to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities by sharing stories of inclusion, hope and allyship.
Players from both teams will tape their sticks for pregame warmups with rainbow tape and take the ice wearing commemorative pride warmup jerseys featuring the Progress Pride Flag. Official Pride Game warmup pucks with a distinct colorful design will be used by both teams in pregame warmups.
The Penguins and Sabres will co-host a seven-day online auction featuring pride tape sticks, commemorative warmup jerseys and pucks, various signed items from both teams and more. The auction kicks off pregame on April 17 and runs through April 24 at 12 p.m. To view the pride auction, click here.
The Sabres and Penguins will donate 100 tickets for the game to LGBTQ+ organizations and each fan in attendance will receive a Pride Game rally towel on their seat. Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus will sing the anthems before the game.
Click here for more details.
Tickets for the game are available and can be purchased here.
For even more on what both teams are doing during the game, visit this site.

Introducing Jason Karmanos

On Wednesday, the team announced that Jason Karmanos had been hired has the new associate general manager. Thursday afternoon, he and general manager Kevyn Adams spoke with the media about their history together and their overall plans for the Sabres moving forward.
"This was a critical hire for us," Adams said during an introductory press conference on Thursday.
"I feel that Jason is someone, for me, that checked all the boxes. He is a person of integrity, high character, has great experience, a track record of success in multiple organizations and certainly someone I've known for many years and trust."
Karmanos said he had an opportunity with another organization before joining the Sabres, crediting the potential in the Western New York market as a factor in his decision.
He will serve as general manager of the AHL affiliate Rochester Americans and will oversee the Sabres' scouting, player development and analytic departments.
"I know that there's been disappointment, can't change what's gone on in the past," he said. "But I look forward to getting a better understanding of what going on currently.
"I think at this point, I'm somebody that's had a lot of experience in all areas of hockey operation. I've been on some bad teams and some great teams. I look forward to bringing that experience and helping the Sabres get to where they want to get to."
You can read more here.

Donate today to Bald For Bucks

The Buffalo Sabres are once again partnering with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and their Bald for Bucks initiative to raise funds for critical cancer research and patient-care programs. Donate $50 or more from now until May 2 to receive a limited-edition Buffalo Sabres Bald for Bucks T-shirt.

Click here for more details.