Sharpen Up: October 12, 2016

Always nice to have a good news day and Tuesday certainly was that. Rasmus Ristolainen signed a six-year deal and the Sabres set their opening night roster. The home opener is tomorrow night.
Here's what you need to know.

The big story is obviously Buffalo locking up Ristolainen to that big contract. The 21-year-old right-shot defenseman posted a career-high 41 points last season, more than doubling his total from the previous year.
Brian Duff was able to catch up with Risto just after he signed on the dotted line.

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The roster is set

We've talked a lot about the great camps Derek Grant, Hudson Fasching and Casey Nelson have had this fall. All of that work has paid off for those three as they have cracked the opening night roster. There's also a chance that, due to some of the injuries the team is facing, Grant and Fasching could be in the lineup against the Canadiens.
During his weekly radio appearance on WGR 550, coach Dan Bylsma said this morning that defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Zach Bogosian will likely be ready for the season opener tomorrow night. Both have been battling lower-body injuries, but practiced in full yesterday. However, it's possible that the Sabres could be without forwards Ryan O'Reilly (muscle strain) and Kyle Okposo (bruised knee).
O'Reilly is expected to practice with the Sabres today (he told 97 Rock this morning that the practice is going to be a good test when it comes to getting into game situations and that he's going to have to be smart with the injury). Okposo will skate on his own beforehand. Buffalo is slated to take the ice at 11 a.m.

Transforming your fan experience

One of the biggest off-ice changes we've made this season is the introduction of My One Buffalo. And as of last night, the features of My One Buffalo are now available within the Buffalo Sabres mobile app. App users can immediately receive access to all My One Buffalo features, including ticket management and status benefits, by downloading the app update.
My One Buffalo will be available as a stand-alone app in November, but until then, fans can see all of the app's features by logging on to MyOneBuffalo.com, where they'll have access to complete information including the app's benefits, status program specifics and interaction opportunities, along with an instructional video and FAQ section.
Digital ticketing is a big part of the new experience. If you have any questions about how to forward your tickets or tips on how to easily enter KeyBank Center, check out this page.

Prepare to party

There will be a Party in the Plaza tomorrow before the game starting at 5 p.m. with a special performance of our goal song by DJ Kool himself. If that's not enough to have you excited for the start of the new season,

shared some of the things she's really looking forward to.

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Rochester is ready to party too

The Amerks open their season on Friday against the Hershey Bears. They have a special ticket package available here. But if you can't wait for that, The Distillery, a longtime sponsor of the Amerks, will host its annual "Meet the Players" Party tonight at the restaurant's Mt. Hope location from 5 to 7:00 p.m.

On Tap Today

We'll have practice coverage today and Jourdon LaBarber and

have updates on those injured players as well as some thoughts on the guys who made the roster. Written and video coverage as always.
Jourdon will also have a cool feature on Sam Reinhart and the skating work he put in over the summer.
And of course, we'll get you ready for tomorrow's faceoff. The Tops Gamenight pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow and Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray will call the action once the puck drops.