Sharpen Up: January 15, 2019

The first game of the three-game road trip didn't get off to the start the Sabres wanted. They lost 7-2 last night to the Edmonton Oilers.
Buffalo will return to practice this afternoon in Calgary before taking on the Flames tomorrow night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Faceoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with the GMC Game Night pregame show kicking off at 9 on MSG.
Here's what you need to know.

About last night

From the Lexus Postgame Report…
In the moments following a 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres were already looking forward.
The Oilers' seven goals were the most allowed by the Sabres in single game this season, the result of costly mistakes that piled up throughout the night. Eichel and his teammates acknowledged the areas in need of improvement while also stressing the importance of remaining even-keeled.
"It's frustrating, but at the end of the day you can't hang your head on a loss," Eichel said. "We have a lot of hockey left in the season. I know we're going through a rough patch right now.
"It seems like earlier in the year we were going through a patch where everything was going our way and now it just seems like everything is going the opposite way. At this point, we just have to stick together and find a way out of it."

The Sabres outshot the Oilers, 43-25, but only managed a pair of first-period goals from Casey Mittelstadt and Evan Rodrigues. The Oilers, meanwhile, seemed to capitalize on every chance they had, many of which were the product of Sabre turnovers.
Zack Kassian and Milan Lucic scored two goals apiece, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl also found the back of the net for Edmonton.
Carter Hutton was pulled after allowing five goals on 12 shots in 24:46. Linus Ullmark stopped 11 of 13 shots in relief.

"I think we just gave them things and they took advantage of it," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "You look at our shots, you look at our chances, I liked that part of our game. But I think when we didn't have the puck, we didn't do a very good job. Our checking detail needs to tighten up."
Read the full recap here.

Corporate Challenge returns

The team will host the 15th-annual Buffalo Sabres Corporate Hockey Challenge presented by Pure Hockey on Friday, March 15 at KeyBank Center.
The Buffalo Sabres Corporate Hockey Challenge is a 3-on-3 hockey tournament held annually at KeyBank Center that pairs Sabres alumni with members of participating companies in a tournament to raise money for the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
Each team includes seven players as well as one Sabres alumnus, with each player receiving a special Corporate Challenge-themed gift. The day will be capped with a happy hour and dinner at The Draft Room for all players and participating alumni.
Teams will also have an opportunity to participate in the live "Alumni Draft," in which they will select the former Sabres player that will join their team for the tournament. The draft will be held on Tuesday, March 12, when the Sabres host the Dallas Stars.
The cost to enter is $3,500 per team and interested parties can contact Nick Ferby at (716) 855-4452 or
[email protected]
register.
Click here for more details.
Here's a look back at last year's event:

Best wishes, Josh Gorges

The former Sabres alternate captain announced his retirement yesterday. He played four seasons in Buffalo, totaling 26 points in 223 games.