Sharpen Up: March 20, 2022 | Road trip ends tonight in Vancouver

Get ready for a rare super-late Sunday night game.
The Buffalo Sabres end their three-game road trip tonight against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Faceoff is at 10 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. MSG's pregame coverage starts at 9:30.
It'll be Buffalo's game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which hits at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
Here's what you need to know.

Friday's recap

The Sabres are now 1-1-0 on the trip thanks to a 1-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Friday. Dustin Tokarski was excellent in net.

Here's a portion of the Postgame Report. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-calgary-flames-recap-highlights/c-331986896
Dustin Tokarski conceded the significance of having family inside Scotiabank Saddledome, a small band of supporters in No. 31 jerseys who made the trek from his hometown Saskatoon.
Beyond that, the goaltender deflected any attention regarding his second NHL shutout like it was another of the 24 shots he faced from the Calgary Flames on Friday.
"It just came down to the team effort tonight," Tokarski said. "The goose egg kind of goes to the team with how they played tonight."
The moment was not lost on the Sabres' dressing room, which blared Taylor Swift's "Fearless" and chanted their goaltender's nickname, "Ticker," following their 1-0 victory.
It was, to Tokarski's point, a true team effort from a group that had lost 6-1 in Edmonton on Thursday. Sabres coach Don Granato felt his team appeared emotionally drained in that loss Oilers, which came on the heels of significant wins over the Golden Knights and Maple Leafs.

The Sabres heeded their coach's direction and focused on getting back to work against a Flames team that was 15-1-1 inside their raucous home arena since mid-January. They battled long enough for Tage Thompson to pounce on a misplay by goaltender Jacob Markstrom and net the winning goal in overtime.
"Last night might have been the worst game of the year and tonight was right up there with one of the top games," Granato said.
The win would not have been possible without Tokarski, who etched another milestone in his Sabres tenure. The 32-year-old had gone three seasons without an NHL game when he made his debut with Buffalo in March of last year. He earned a spot on the team with a strong camp this fall.
His performance against the Flames came nearly eight years to the day since his first shutout, a 29-save effort in Buffalo as a member of Montreal. He had played for 12 different teams, in the NHL and AHL, in the meantime.

The signature moment occurred during the second period, when Tokarski faced Andrew Mangiapane streaking down the left side on a rush. Tokarski went out to challenge Mangiapane, but the Flames' leading goal scorer opted instead to pass through the middle to Calle Jarnkrok.
Tokarski shrugged when asked to describe the save.
"I was behind and kind of off-balance, so I just dove over there and tried to get what I could," he said. "Fortunately, I made a save."
You can read the full recap here.

Tonight's matchup

From the Game Notes:
• This is the second and final meeting between the Sabres and Canucks this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Vancouver 5-2 in Buffalo on Oct. 19, 2021.
• The Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games against the Canucks; 2-7-1 on the road.
• This is the 126th game all-time between Buffalo and Vancouver; Buffalo has a 51-54-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 18-32-12 on the road against the Canucks all-time.
• A win tonight would give Buffalo its first season sweep over Vancouver (at least two games) since the team won both matchups during the 1997-98 season.
• With at least a point tonight, the Sabres would win a season series of at least two games against the Canucks for the first time since 1997-98.
• 26 of Buffalo's last 30 games have been decided in regulation, including 15 of the last 16 contests.
• Vinnie Hinostroza has four points (2+2) in his last four games.
• Hinostroza has 10 points (1+9) in 11 career games against Vancouver, including seven assists in his last six.
• In his last eight road contests, Jeff Skinner has recorded eight points (5+3).
• Skinner has recorded seven points (4+3) in his last seven contests against the Canucks.

• Tage Thompson has four goals in his last five road contests.
• Kyle Okposo has totaled 17 points (5+12) in his last 14 games against Vancouver, including at least point in each of the last eight meetings (5+4).
• Okposo's 1.06 career points per game against Vancouver (17 points in 16 GP) trails only his 1.50 points per game against Seattle (3 points in 2GP) for his highest per-game total against any NHL opponent.
• Rasmus Dahlin has five assists and holds a plus-3 rating in four career games against the Canucks.

• Zemgus Girgensons has at least a point in each of his last four games against Vancouver, recording five points (3+2) during that span.
• Victor Olofsson has three points (1+2) in two career games against the Canucks.
• Colin Miller has four assists and holds a plus-6 rating in his last two games against the Canucks, including two assists in the previous meeting this season on Oct. 19, 2021 in Buffalo.
• In his last four games against Vancouver, Craig Anderson has a 3-1-0 record with a .935 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average.
• Anderson made 32 saves on 34 shots faced to earn a win against Vancouver on Oct. 19, 2021 in Buffalo.

Trade Deadline is Monday

If you missed Kevyn Adams on "The Instigators" on Thursday, it's worth a listen:

Tablet Talk with Dylan Cozens

Cozens broke down some of his big goals this year with Martin Biron on the latest edition of "Tablet Talk" presented by LECOM:

Round 2 voting ends tonight

Who will wind up in the Final Four of RJ's Best Call bracket?
Choose between these top Rick Jeanneret calls until 11:59 p.m. tonight:

"May Day! May Day!" vs. "LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaFontaine!"

"Who Else? Who Else?" vs. "Call A Cop!"
Vote now!

The bracket champion will be announced on RJ Night on April 1, when Rick Jeanneret will be honored with a banner in the rafters. Tickets are on sale now.