Sharpen Up: April 21, 2022 | Sabres play Devils on the road tonight

The Buffalo Sabres are back in action tonight.
They'll face the New Jersey Devils on the road at 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. Pregame coverage on MSG begins at 6:30. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call.
Buffalo will return home for a 12:30 p.m. match against the New York Islanders on Saturday. Tickets are on sale now.
Here's what you need to know.

Yesterday's practice

From the Practice Report:
Don Granato and his coaching staff continued to tweak drills and adjust points of emphasis on Wednesday as if the Sabres were not down to their final four games of the season.
With a young roster that promises to return most of its players in 2022-23, the Sabres are continuing to push forward with the idea that their progress will carry into the future.
"I can see it and feel it and know where we're headed, so to have this group I can have that vision," Granato said after practice at LECOM Harborcenter.
"It's so clear in my head that it's exciting to know they're coming back. We will build on wherever we leave off the season and we will be able to build on it pretty quick because we have such great continuity with our player personnel."

The Sabres have an abundance of practice time during the final two weeks of their season, a luxury they had not been afforded since mid-March. From March 23 to April 17, the Sabres did not have a single two-day break between games. They played two back-to-back sets in that span.
Buffalo has had three days to prepare for its next game, in New Jersey on Thursday. It will have four days between a home game against the New York Islanders on Saturday and a visit to Boston next Thursday.
"We're not operating in one respect that the season ends in four games," Granato said. "We're pushing. We know we're going to have a large part of this group back next year. It's continual."
For updated line combinations and more, click here.

Tonight's matchup

From the Game Notes:
• This is the third and final meeting between the Sabres and Devils this season.
• Last meeting: New Jersey defeated Buffalo 4-3 in Buffalo on Dec. 29.
• The Sabres are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games against the Devils; 4-5-1 on the road.
• This is the 170th game all-time between Buffalo and New Jersey; Buffalo has an 82-59-28 series record.
• The Sabres are 38-29-16 on the road against the Devils all-time.
• The Sabres have earned at least a point in four of their last five games in New Jersey (3-1-1).
• Since March 27, the Sabres' power play ranks first in the NHL at 41.2 percent (14-for-34).
• Buffalo has scored a goal on six of its 12 power plays over the team's last four games.

• Tage Thompson has 21 points (13+8) in his last 19 contests, recording six multi-point performances during that span.
• Thompson enters tonight's contest on a four-game point streak (4+1) and has recorded at least a point in nine of his last 10 games.
• He has four points (3+1) in his last four games against New Jersey.

• Victor Olofsson has 16 points (9+7) in his last 16 games and has tallied multi-point games in five of those 16 contests.
• The Sabres are 11-0-0 this season when Olofsson records a multi-point performance.
• Olofsson has more points against the Devils (11) than any other NHL opponent and his six career goals against New Jersey tie his output against Washington for his highest goal total against an NHL team.
• Jeff Skinner has 17 points (8+9) in his last 16 games and has tallied at least a point in 13 of those 16 contests.
• Rasmus Dahlin has six points (2+4) in his last four games, tallying three multi-point efforts during that span.
• He also has 15 points (2+13) in 14 career games against the Devils and has tallied at least a point in 11 of those 14 contests.
• Dahlin's 15 points against New Jersey are his highest career total against any single NHL opponent.
• Peyton Krebs has three assists in his last two games.
• Alex Tuch enters tonight's contest on a four-game point streak against the Devils, tallying six points (1+5) during that span.
• Mark Pysyk has four points (1+3) in his last three games against the Devils.
• In two career starts against New Jersey Dustin Tokarski has a .930 save percentage and a 1.87 goals-against average.
• The Sabres have never before played a regular-season game on April 21.

Noteworthy offseason dates set

Yesterday, the NHL announced several key dates for the summer.
The 2022 NHL Draft Lottery drawing will be held May 10 (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, SN NOW, TVAS).
The lottery, for teams that miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, will set the order for the first 16 selections of the 2022 NHL Draft, which will be held at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7-8.
NHL Central Scouting will release its final rankings of the top North American and International skaters and goalies for the 2022 draft on May 5.
The NHL Scouting Combine will be held at KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo from May 29-June 4. The event will allow the top draft prospects to meet and work out for all 32 NHL teams.
The first day of free agency will be July 13.
Read more here.

Rico Award finalists

The final round of voting for the 2021-22 Rick Martin Memorial Award is now live.
The finalists for the "The Rico," which is presented annually to the player whom fans believe best embodies what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre, (in alphabetical order) are:
Click here to vote now.
These three players had the most votes after the first round of voting closed Sunday.
Fans are encouraged to visit Sabres.com/RicoVote and cast their ballot for the player they believe best demonstrates on-ice excellence, resiliency, and a dedication to the community.