Sharpen Up: March 31, 2019

The Sabres are back at it tonight following their 5-1 loss to the Islanders last night at NYCB Live, the renovated Nassau Coliseum. They'll take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at KeyBank Center.
It's a 6 p.m. start on MSG and WGR 550. Tickets are on sale now, but if you can't make it to the rink, catch the GMC Game Night pregame show starting at 5:30 on MSG.
Here' what you need to know.

About last night

From the Lexus Postgame Report…
Facing a New York Islanders team looking to clinch a playoff berth in front of a raucous home crowd, the Sabres struggled right from the start in a 5-1 loss at NYCB Live on Saturday night.
The loss extended their winless streak to six games.
"It started on the opening faceoff," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "We don't make a D-to-D pass on the tape and it comes right back after us. This game wasn't really about X's and O's. It was just about battles. The one-on-one battles, they were heavier.
"They're a bigger team, that's why they're in the playoffs and in the position we're in. We couldn't get pins in the defensive zone, we spent way too much time in the defensive zone and when we had an opportunity to make a play, we didn't make a play."
The Sabres were outshot 16-8 in the first period and 38-32 overall. They broke Robin Lehner's shutout when Victor Olofsson scored his first NHL goal on a power play with 6:32 remaining in the contest.

Carter Hutton made 33 saves for the Sabres, including one on a penalty shot for Beauvillier to keep the score 1-0 in the first period.
"I don't know what to explain to you right now," Hutton said. "For me, honestly, I try to compete the best I can. Personally, I'm embarrassed. It's frustrating. I don't want to lose. I want to compete, I want to give this team a chance to win and it's just been frustrating lately.
"That's a good hockey team over there. It's like they came out and we were surprised that they were going to come out hard at home. They pounded us right off the opening puck."

Sabres captain Jack Eichel echoed his goaltender, referring to the team's recent stretch as "embarrassing" and admitting that they were unable to match the Islanders' desperation. He defended his coach, however, refuting the notion that the team has quit.
"We're not quitting on Phil," Eichel said. "We're not quitting on each other. We're just not bringing it. I mean, that's a hockey team right there that's playing to get into the playoffs. From the first shift, we didn't execute. We weren't hard on the puck. Easy to play against. So, this isn't on Phil. This isn't on Phil. This is on us."
Marco Scandella sustained an injury while blocking a shot in the second period and did not return for the third.
The Sabres entered the game without Zach Bogosian (lower body), Matt Hunwick (upper), Jake McCabe (lower) and Rasmus Ristolainen (illness) on defense, all of whom are considered day-to-day.
You can read the full recap here.

Tonight's matchup

From the Game Notes…
- Victor Olofsson, who was recalled on Wednesday and made his NHL on Thursday vs. Detroit, has recorded a point in each of his first two NHL games (1+1). - Olofsson has led all Sabres in shots (9) and shot attempts (16) in his two games with the team. - According to NaturalStatTrick.com, he has also led the team in scoring chances (9), as well as corsi for percentage (58.73%), shots for percentage (61.76%) and scoring chance percentage (61.29%) during 5-on-5 play. - In his first season in North America, Olofsson has recorded a team-high 60 points (27+33) in 64 AHL games with the Rochester Americans, also leading all Rochester skaters in goals and assists. He led all SHL players with 27 goals in 2017-18.

Amerks are playoff bound

From Amerks.com...
After falling behind 3-1 late in the first period of Saturday night's contest at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena against the Binghamton Devils (26-38-6-0), the Rochester Americans (43-21-4-2) countered with five of the last six goals, including four in the final 20 minutes of play, to come away with a 6-4 victory.
With the win, the Amerks officially punched their ticket to the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs and remain one point behind the Syracuse Crunch for the AHL's North Division lead. Rochester, which earned its second trip to the postseason in as many seasons and fifth in the last eight years, has collected 46 out of a possible 66 points in its last 33 games heading into the final two weeks of the 2018-19 regular season.
C.J. Smith scored twice to grab a share of the team-lead with his 26th and 27th goals of the season while Nathan Paetsch, who celebrated his 36th birthday, chipped in his first goal of the slate to go with an assist.
Eric Cornel (1+1), Kevin Porter (0+2) and rookie Casey Fitzgerald (0+2), who made his professional debut, all contributed with a two-point effort. Remi Elie completed the scoring as he picked up his eighth of the season.
Netminder Scott Wedgewood (27-12-2) made 16 saves on the night to earn his 27th victory in the Rochester net.

Tickets for all first-round home games for the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs will go on sale on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. The complete opening round schedule will be released at a later date as soon as Rochester's first-round opponent has been determined.
Individual game tickets for Round One of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs start as low as just $14 and range in price up to $28 depending on seat location. All tickets purchased on the day of the game will increase by $2.
Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase all potential home playoff games with a Playoff Pack, which will go on sale Wednesday, April 3. Convenient payment options are available and guarantee your seating at the lowest rates for all home playoff games at Blue Cross Arena.
Additionally, beginning on Thursday, April 4, new and current Amerks Season Ticket Members will be able to purchase additional single-game tickets for all first-round home playoff games for as little as $12.
Amerks Calder Cup Playoff tickets are available for purchase either in person at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office, online at Amerks.com or by calling 1-855-GO-AMERKS.

Beauts in the community

In a special Sunday long read for you, we took a look at the impact the NHWL's Buffalo Beauts have made on the local hockey scene. Here's a sample (and you can read the full feature here):
Chris Sykes can still recall the details of the first Buffalo Beauts game he attended with his daughter, Lucy.
He remembers it was the 2016-17 season opener, the second year of operation for the National Women's Hockey League. He knows all four of the league's teams were in town for opening weekend, and that Lucy even got to speak to a handful players while they awaited pregame warmups.
More than anything, he remembers the look on his daughter's face when the puck dropped.
"She kind of talked a little bit at first, and then she just went silent for four or five minutes," he said. "That's weird for Lucy. Finally, she just kind of looked up and said, 'They wear a ponytail like I do.' It was a really, really big deal for her."
The Beauts have attained various measures of success during their four seasons of operation.
On the ice, they boast a roster that includes former Olympians in Dani Cameranesi, Lisa Chesson, Emily Pfalzer, Nicole Hensley and Shannon Szabados, as well as the league's Most Valuable Player in Maddie Elia. They've made it to the Isobel Cup Final all four years, including a championship in 2016.
As the only NWHL team with private ownership, the Beauts have set the bar in terms of resources, operations and facilities in women's professional hockey.

Buffalo's last offseason included a series of high-profile additions including Szabados and defender Blake Bolden, as well as the return of Getzville, N.Y. native Pfalzer. Bolden and Szabados have both cited the amenities in Buffalo as being among the best in women's hockey.
The product on the ice has been strong as a result. In addition to Elia being named MVP, Szabados was the NWHL's goaltender of the year and Bolden was named defender of the year. Forward Hayley Scamurra, a Williamsville, N.Y. native, was voted as the league's top player by the NWHL Players Association.
"I've heard it before and I've read it, that the Buffalo Beauts are setting the standard for women's hockey," Beauts coach Cody McCormick said. "It has a lot to do with PSE and the ownership we have, how they see this team and how they envision women's hockey.
"There's a lot of momentum right now to growing the game and making sure it's going in the right direction, and I believe it is."
You can read the full story here.