Sharpen Up: April 3, 2021 | Homestand concludes tonight against Rangers

It's a Buffalo Sabres game night as the Sabres take on the New York Rangers once again at KeyBank Center.
Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. Pregame coverage on MSG begins at 6:30.
We'll have lineup news and notes for you throughout the day here on Sabres.com, our social media channels and the new Sabres app.
Here's what you need to know.

Tonight's matchup

The Sabres are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers on Thursday. In that game, Dustin Tokarski made a career-high 44 saves and Tage Thompson tied the game with 3.6 seconds left in regulation. However, Mika Zibanejad scored for New York to win it in the late stages of the overtime period.
New York leads the season series 4-1-0. The Sabres are 1-2-2 against the Rangers so far in 2020-21.
Let's dive into @SabresPR's Game Notes:

For fans attending tonight's game

KeyBank Center will welcome fans back to the arena for tonight'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.

Remembering Teddy Steeg

The presence of Theodore "Teddy" Steeg III was felt inside KeyBank Center on Thursday and that will continue in a special way for the remainder of this season.
Steeg, a huge Sabres fan, passed away unexpectedly on February 20. He was 38. The loss prompted his friend Nathaniel Roche, a friend since fourth grade, and others in their longtime friend group to find a way to honor a man they affectionately describe as a "legend" with a kind soul and big personality.
"Let's find a way to give Teddy a tribute that he deserves," Roche said. "He's such a character in our group of friends, such a core piece to everything. We all thought about that. He's this core piece that ties us all together in a lot of ways. So, how do we provide a tribute that makes sense for him?"
They decided to put Teddy in the stands for a Sabres game one more time.
Steeg was featured on 64 cardboard cutouts in section 206 during Buffalo's game against the New York Rangers on Thursday. Roche and friends raised money for the tribute through an online fundraiser that quickly garnered support on social media.
The influx of donations, Roche said, was a testament to Steeg's ability to leave an impact on those he met. Roche recalled a spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale in high school when unknown strangers would pass on the street and call out, "Hey, Teddy!" The experience earned him the moniker "The Legend of Fort Lauderdale," one of several nicknames Teddy was given over the years.
Brian Duff and Martin Biron paid tribute to Steeg during the first intermission on the Sabres broadcast on Thursday.
You can read more here.

Pride Game set for April 17

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, April 17 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, visit 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 more on what both teams are doing during the game, visit this site.

Today in Sabres history

2008: Ryan Miller appears in his 76th game of the season, the most ever by a Buffalo goaltender.