Sharpen Up: May 10, 2021 | 2020-21 season comes to an end

The Buffalo Sabres wrapped up the 2020-21 season with a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
The Sabres 15-34-7 for 37 points to finish 31st in the NHL. They'll have the best odds to win the first-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, which will be held at the end of July.
Locker cleanout begins today so stay tuned for coverage all week on Sabres.com, the club's social media platforms and the new Sabres app.
Here's what you need to know.

Saturday's recap

Saturday's loss was Buffalo's 9th shutout loss of the season in 56 games.
From our Postgame Report:
Don Granato remained proud of his players even after a shutout loss.
Granato took over as interim coach of the Sabres on March 17 and challenged the team to learn a possession-based, up-tempo game on the fly. He set his sights toward the future, putting more and more on the plates of young players who figure to be a part of the organization's core. He increased practice time at the expense of rest.
The players responded all the way to the end of a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season finale at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

"As a coach, you have nothing if you can't push guys," Granato said afterward. "And I really felt the best thing was to be able to push guys. Guys wanted to be pushed. They wanted more. They felt they could give more, and they had more within themselves.
"That was something very nice and very special to have as a coach."
Maxime Lagace, making his Penguins debut, turned away 29 shots. The Sabres finished with edges in shots (29-23) and shot attempts (44-38).
Michael Houser did his part to keep the game within reach for Buffalo, making 22 saves. Jeff Carter scored the lone goal of the game for Pittsburgh.

Prior to last Monday when he made his NHL debut, Houser, 28, had not played a game above the ECHL level since the 2017-18 season. He had not played a game of any kind in nearly 14 months. His chance in the NHL simply reinforced what he had suspected throughout his long journey.
"I think showing myself was what I wanted to do," he said. "I've always thought that I could play at this level, I've always thought that I could win games here. … I can play here and play well and give our team a chance to win. I think that's all you can ask from a goalie."
Read more here.

End-of-season interviews

Before they head out for the summer, the Sabres will address the media one final time.
Today, we'll hear from Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, Linus Ullmark, Jake McCabe and captain Jack Eichel.
Tomorrow, Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt, Tage Thompson, Victor Olofsson and Dylan Cozens are scheduled to speak.
On Wednesday, interim head coach Don Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams will speak about the past season and what's to come.

50 years of RJ

The career of Rick Jeanneret was celebrated throughout Saturday's broadcast. RJ wrapped up his 50th year as the team's play-by-play announcer over the weekend.