Sharpen Up: December 15, 2017

After seeing their four-game point streak snapped in a 2-1 loss in Philadelphia on Thursday, Robin Lehner and the Buffalo Sabres quickly set their sights forward.
They'll have a chance to rebound tonight in a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"We've got to go back and win tomorrow," Lehner said after last night's loss. "It's been a better stretch mentally for us and we want to get right back to that."
The question for the Sabres is whether or not Lehner will be in net. The goalie has made five straight starts for Buffalo, during which he's stopped 174 of 186 shots for a .935 save percentage. He's been stellar at home all season, ranking third among regular NHL goaltenders in home save percentage (.931) and second in goals-against average (2.01).

With the Sabres playing the second of back-to-back games, however, it's possible the nod goes to Chad Johnson. He's 7-2-0 in his career against Carolina with a .931 save percentage and a 2.10 GAA.
We'll likely have our answer around 11 a.m. this morning, when Sabres coach Phil Housley is expected to provide pregame updates. Until then, here's what you need to know on another Sabres game day.

About last night

Ryan O'Reilly scored to give the Sabres an early lead, but missed opportunities were the story from that point on in the 2-1 loss. Rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim scored his first NHL goal to tie the game for Philadelphia in the first period, while Valterri Filppula scored the game winner with 2:33 remaining in the second.
The Sabres had entered the night in the midst of a 2-0-2 stretch, coming off a win over Ottawa on Tuesday.
"It wasn't a matter of us not getting the chances - we had some great looks," Housley said. "We had open nets. We didn't finish. That's part of the execution. It's unfortunate because we've built something here in the last four games. I thought we could've taken another step tonight against a good hockey team, but we didn't execute."
You can read the complete game recap here,
and click below for full reactions from Housley, O'Reilly, Lehner and Zemgus Girgensons.

Tonight's game

The Hurricanes come to town for the final game of a season-long, six-game road trip. They're 1-1-2 on the trip thus far, but coming off of a shooting win in Vegas on Tuesday night. Carolina is led by Teuvo Teravainen's 24 points (8+16), while Jeff Skinner has a team-high 11 goals to go with 10 assists.
Here are some of fast facts heading into tonight's game, from Sabres PR:

On Tap

Once Housley speaks, we'll have pregame updates here on Sabres.com and on Twitter @BuffaloSabres. Check back after the game for locker room reaction, highlights and more.
Coverage tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG-B with GMC Gamenight on MSG-B, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.