Sharpen Up: October 5, 2021 | Sabres travel to Pittsburgh tonight

The Buffalo Sabres will play their fifth of six preseason games tonight when the team travels to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. Fans can watch the AT&T Sports feed of the game on MSG or listen to Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray call the action on WGR 550.
Buffalo lost last night's preseason contest to the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 5-3 decision.
Here's what you need to know.

A look back at last night

Casey Mittelstadt scored twice and JJ Peterka also scored for Buffalo. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played the full game and made 25 saves on 30 shots.

From the Postgame Report by Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber:
Don Granato has cited assertiveness as a core tenet of the identity the Sabres are striving for this season. The coach wants his team to play with confidence, pressuring the puck relentlessly without letting the fear of mistakes stand in its way.
Too often, Granato found the opposite to be true during a 5-3 preseason loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center on Monday. Hesitation led to wide-open looks for the Blue Jackets, who capitalized to build an insurmountable lead during the first 40 minutes.
"We were not quick to close out anybody," Granato said. "Where we got in trouble tonight was hesitation, and it killed us there. And it really did. We gave up some free stuff there because of the hesitation."

Read the full recap here.

Sabres add Jonsson-Fjallby

The newest Sabre, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby could be in the lineup. Buffalo claimed the forward off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Jonsson-Fjallby has yet to make his NHL debut. The 23-year-old Swede was a fifth-round draft pick by the Capitals in 2016 and tallied 15 points (10+5) in 31 games with AHL Hershey last season.
We'll have full lineup news for you here on Sabres.com after the team's morning skate at KeyBank Center.
The Rochester Americans, meanwhile, will fully open their training camp later today with their first on-ice practices at Blue Cross Arena.