Sharpen Up: April 2, 2021 | Sabres unable to complete comeback Thursday

With 3.6 seconds left in the Buffalo Sabres' game last night against the New York Rangers, Tage Thompson tied things up and forced overtime.
Mika Zibanejad eventually scored to lift the Rangers to a 3-2 victory, but the Sabres' resiliency earned them a point.
They were able to stay in striking distance in large part to goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who made a career-high 44 saves.
The team is off today but will return to the ice tomorrow as the prepare for another game against the Rangers. Faceoff on Saturday from KeyBank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 on MSG. Tickets for the game are on sale now.

About last night

Per NHL Stats, Thompson's game-tying goal last night was tied for the third latest in Sabres franchise history.
The other two instances? Thomas Vanek scored with two seconds left in a 5-4 shootout win against Montreal on Feb. 7, 2013 and Phil Housley scored with three seconds left on Jan. 7, 1983, a 5-5 tie with Vancouver.
"It would have felt a lot better to get the win," Thompson said. "[Tokarski] deserved that one big time. He played a great game, stood on his head, made some huge saves for us. It would have been nice to get him the win, but I think you've got to be proud of the way we battled back."

Sabres interim coach Granato said fatigue was a factor for the Sabres, who played their third game in four nights.
"When we spoke to the team after the second period, that was the number one message," the interim head coach said. "'What you're battling, fellas, is fatigue. All the signs show it. You know it, we know it, let's talk about the elephant in the room here.'
"… We had to change our mindset and just find a way to surge and push through, get back to playing our game because we didn't in the second period."

Twenty of Tokarski's 44 saves came in the third period. Ten were made while shorthanded to hold the Rangers to an 0-for-4 night on the power play.
"I like to compete, I like to fight hard, try to see every single shot to give myself the best chance to stop it," Tokarski said. "And when you find that good zone in the crease, whether it's mid or high, just to be able to be able to track the puck] and just get in a groove is my game."
**[Read the Postgame Report for more.**

Looking ahead

KeyBank Center will welcome fans back to the arena for Saturday's game. Tickets are on sale now and you can find information on new entry procedures here.
Three ways you can enter the game:
The team has collaborated with Quest Diagnostics who will offer antigen tests for $30 with test results within 30 minutes. Quest will also continue to offer PCR tests for $64 for fans who have purchased tickets. When scheduling your PCR tests, fans can use promocode: SabresFan

The price of the test is not included in the ticket price. Fans will pay for the test directly with QuestDirect. (This is an out-of-pocket cost to the fan and cannot be submitted to insurance.)
Ticket buyers will be emailed a code to redeem when they schedule their appointment through the Quest Diagnostics website.