Sharpen Up: February 24, 2021 | Sabres wrap up road trip with a victory

The Buffalo Sabres were able to shake off a "painful" loss to the New York Islanders on Monday with a big win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Buffalo wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 4-1 win in New Jersey. The Sabres picked up four of eight possible points on the road.
The Sabres will see the Devils again Thursday night when the two clubs go at it again at KeyBank Center.
Here's what you need to know.

A look back at last night

The Sabres peppered MacKenzie Blackwood with 36 shots and at the other end of the ice, Linus Ullmark was spectacular, especially in the final minutes. He made 41 saves in the win. New Jersey didn't get on board until they scored in a 6-on-4 situation with 27.9 seconds remaining in the game.

Buffalo's goal scorers: Victor Olofsson (on the power play, of course), Rasmus Asplund (his first of the year), Dylan Cozens (the third of his career) and Cody Eakin (his first with Buffalo that hit the empty net just before time expired).
In the time it took for the NHL to review Eakin's goal to ensure that the puck crossed the goal line before time expired, the players on both teams had already left the ice, which led to an awkward final faceoff:

Asplund was recalled before the game with the news that Tobias Rieder would be unavailable due to an injury. Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said they'll have a better sense of Reider's timeline after an MRI is performed.

With the victory, Buffalo is now tied with New Jersey with 14 points in the East Division. Both clubs are seven points behind Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders, who are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the division.
"It was a playoff feel coming into this game today," Krueger said after the game. "The meetings today, this morning, this afternoon, everybody was really edgy and focused. We're just happy the team responded to that kind of pressure we put on them today."
For more on the game, check out the Postgame Report.

Power play tied for best in NHL

The Sabres' power play now has at least one goal in 10 of the past 11 games. The lone exception was a shutout loss to the Islanders in which Olofsson had a power-play goal taken off the board due to an offside entry.
Olofsson has been a catalyst through it all with 12 power-play points, which is good for third in the NHL behind Connor McDavid (17) and Leon Draisaitl (13).
At 33.3 percent, the Sabres' power play is tied with Chicago's and Toronto's for the best in the NHL.

With Borgen out, Bryson steps in

The Sabres received more bad news about their defense before the game with word that Will Borgen will be out 6-to-8 weeks after having successful surgery on a fracture in his right arm.
Jacob Bryson, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, was called up from the taxi squad before the game and made his NHL debut. He was on the ice for two Sabres goals and logged 17:59 of ice time.
"He's a really smart player," Krueger said. "We weren't surprised. There were times he still needed to correct the speed with which things happen, the gaps and how hard they are to get in the NHL. But with the puck, we liked his confidence throughout. He participated in the game without any fear.
"Just another good find for us on the defense, where we're going to need depth moving forward. It was encouraging to see that today."
Borgen is yet another defenseman on Buffalo's injury list. The team is also missing both players on what had been its top pair: Jake McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen.
McCabe is out six-to-eight months with a knee injury while Ristolainen is recovering from severe COVID-related symptoms and there is currently no timetable for his return.
McCabe sent out a tweet yesterday thanking fans and the organization for their support while he recovers from this tough injury:
Tweet from @McCabe19: Although it���s been an extremely difficult few days, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support and well wishes from my family, friends, @BuffaloSabres organization and the Buffalo community. I greatly appreciate it and I know my best hockey is yet to come. 💪🏻
Defenseman Brandon Davidson and goaltender Dustin Tokarski were loaned to the taxi squad before the game. Tokarski was brought up from Rochester.
The Amerks were scheduled to play the Syracuse Crunch on the road tonight, but the game has been moved to March 1 due to league COVID-19 protocols affecting the Crunch. Stay tuned to Amerks.com for additional updates.

What's next

The Sabres will face the Devils for the fifth time this season tomorrow night at KeyBank Center. Buffalo currently leads the eight-game series with a 3-1-0 record. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 on MSG.
For that game, Buffalo will wear their Reverse Retro jerseys for the very first time. They'll rock the new third jerseys for the next three games.