Sharpen up: January 18, 2018

It's a game night in New York. The Sabres return from their bye week tonight against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It's the second of three meetings between the two teams this season and the first since the Rangers won 3-2 in overtime at the Winter Classic on New Year's Day.
The game will be nationally televised on NBCSN, with puck drop slated for 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on WGR 550.
Here's what you need to know.

Changes on defense

Nathan Beaulieu did not practice with the team on Wednesday and is day-to-day with an illness. Beaulieu previously missed five games with flu-like symptoms back in December, and Victor Antipin has missed the last seven games due to an illness of his own.
Antipin said his condition at one point caused him to lose 10 pounds, but he was able to return to practice with the team ahead of the bye and practiced again on Wednesday. Phil Housley said the defenseman will be reevaluated before a decision is made on whether he can replace Beaulieu in the lineup.
If Antipin doesn't play, expect Casey Nelson to make his season debut. With Brendan Guhle day-to-day while dealing with a lower-body injury in Rochester, Nelson earned his second recall of the season on Wednesday morning. The 25-year-old defenseman has 11 points (2+9) in 37 games this season.
You can read more on Nelson, as well as the Sabres' mentality coming out of the bye week, in Wednesday's practice report.

From the notes

The Sabres entered the bye with a quite few of their players riding hot streaks. Here are some notes from Sabres PR:

On Tap

The Sabres will take the ice for their morning skate in New York around 11:30 a.m. Stay tuned to Sabres.com and on Twitter @BuffaloSabres for lineup updates and more.