Sharpen Up: March 20, 2018

Last night, the Sabres dropped a 4-0 decision to the league-leading Nashville Predators. Nashville is now 14-0-1 over their last 15 games and have not lost in Buffalo since Dec. 1, 2008. Jack Eichel fired a team-high five shots on Pekka Rinne, but Rinne made 35 saves to earn his 40th win of the season.
The Sabres host the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Here's what you need to know.

About last night

From the Ice Level Practice Report…
Behind the bench of the Nashville Predators for the past four seasons, Phil Housley was the benefactor of many a strong performance from goaltender Pekka Rinne. Facing his former organization for the first time on Monday, he found himself on the opposite side of that equation.
The Buffalo Sabres outshot the NHL-leading Predators but were ultimately stifled by Nashville's All-Star goaltender in a 4-0 loss. Rinne made 35 saves for his league-leading eighth shutout of the season and extended his personal win streak to 11 games.

"You saw it tonight, he makes some really big-time saves," Housley said. "We had some really golden looks he made look really easy."
Eichel, playing his second game back from a high-ankle sprain, had as many chances as anyone. He generated a game-high 11 shot attempts, including five shots on goal.

"Give him credit. He's one of the best goalies to ever play in our league for a reason," Eichel said. "Obviously in a game like that I think you've got to find one, and I thought we had a little bit of a hard time doing that.
"Whether it's the second and third opportunities or, you don't want to make the extra pass but against a goalie like that maybe you're thinking about it because of how calm he is in there. He doesn't leave a lot of pucks hanging around his crease, he gobbles a lot of stuff up. He made it tough for us, but we competed hard. You've got to like the effort but at the end of the day, it's a 4-0 loss."

Linus Ullmark started in net for Buffalo, making 28 saves. It was his second appearance of the season.
"I really liked Linus' game," Housley said. "I feel bad there was four goals, because the last two were sort of mistakes that we made. But he stood tall, he made some big saves when he had to. It's just unfortunate. I really liked the way he played tonight. I thought he was really in control."

Alumni Wine Fest returns March 28

The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association will host the 14th annual Sabres Alumni Wine Festival on Wednesday, March 28 at KeyBank Center from 6 to 9:30 p.m. The event, co-sponsored by KeyBank, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and John W. Danforth, will feature wineries and restaurants from Buffalo, Niagara-on-the-Lake and beyond.
Attendees will have a chance to sample some of the finest wines and food that Western New York and Southern Ontario have to offer while socializing with Sabres legends and their wives. The festival will include music, auctions and raffles with unique items from the Buffalo Sabres and Sabres Alumni
Tickets are $75 each and are available at here, the KeyBank Center Box Office, or by calling Nick Fearby at 716-855-4452. All proceeds from the event will benefit breast cancer care in Western New York.
All attendees are asked to dress in business attire for the evening. There will be complimentary parking in the ramp adjacent to KeyBank Center and guests can use the 100 level bridge entrance to enter the event.