Sharpen Up: January 13, 2022 | Road trip opens up tonight in Nashville

It's a Buffalo Sabres game night in Nashville.
Faceoff is set for 8 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with pregame coverage starting at 7:30.
A new goaltender tandem will suit up tonight for Buffalo after the team received word that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be out week to week with a lower-body injury and Malcolm Subban is month to month with an upper-body injury.
Both players were injured during Tuesday's home game.
With Dustin Tokarski and Craig Anderson also still unavailable, the team signed Rochester Americans goaltender Michael Houser to a one-year contract and recalled Aaron Dell from the Amerks.
We have more for you in today's Sharpen Up.
Here's what you need to know.

Yesterday's practice

Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber has more on Houser's incredible return to the NHL in the Practice Report:
Michael Houser became the sixth goaltender to dress for the Sabres when he made his memorable debut in May of last season. Carter Hutton, Linus Ullmark, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had all sustained injuries. Jonas Johansson was traded. Dustin Tokarski's season ended early due to a personal matter.
So, Houser - then 28 years old and having not played a professional game in nearly 14 months - got the call. He made 34 saves to win his debut, 4-2 over the New York Islanders. The following night, he made 45 saves and stopped three more shots in a shootout to beat the Islanders again.

Houser looked for an NHL deal during the offseason but ultimately signed a one-year AHL contract to stay with the Rochester Americans in September. Wednesday, the call came again.
The Sabres signed Houser to a one-year contract prior to practice in the wake of injuries to Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban, both of which occurred during Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. If Houser appears in a game, he will once again be Buffalo's sixth goalie in a single season.

Buffalo also recalled Aaron Dell from Rochester prior to practice. Coach Don Granato said he was leaning toward starting Dell on Thursday night in Nashville, though he added that the decision was not final.
"Houser was an inspiration last year and did exceptionally well," Granato said. "He's an overachiever and that's exactly what we're about right now and what we need."
Read the full report here.

Tonight's matchup

From @SabresPR's Game Notes:
• This is the first of two meetings between the Sabres and Predators this season.
• Last meeting: Nashville defeated Buffalo 2-1 in Nashville on Jan. 18, 2020.
• Next meeting: Friday, April 1 in Buffalo.
• The Sabres are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games against the Predators; 6-4-0 on the road.
• This is the 30th game all-time between Buffalo and Nashville; Buffalo has an 11-14-4 series record.
• The Sabres are 9-6-0 on the road against the Predators all-time.
• Buffalo has scored a power-play goal in each of its last four games and is looking to extend its streak to five games for the first time since Feb. 18 to 25, 2021.
• Dating back to Nov. 21, Rasmus Dahlin was tied for 10th among NHL defensemen with 14 points (4+10) and 52 shots on goal entering play Wednesday.
• Dahlin enters tonight's game with seven points (3+4) in his last eight games.
• He also has an assist in each of his last two games against the Predators.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Dylan Cozens has been at or above 50 percent in 5-on-5 on-ice expected goals percentage, scoring chances for percentage and high-danger chances for percentage in nine of his last 13 games dating back to Nov. 26 vs. MTL.
• Among Sabres with at least 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time during that span, Cozens ranks second in xGF% (49.52), second in SCF% (50.99) and first in HDCF% (53.73).
• On the road this season, Vinnie Hinostroza is tied for second among Sabres skaters with 10 points (4+6) and he has not gone consecutive away games without recording a point in 2021-22.
• Hinostroza has three points (2+1) in his last two games against the Predators.
• Kyle Okposo has 12 points (7+5) in 15 career games against Nashville. His .467 goals per game trail only his totals against Chicago (.533) and Edmonton (.471) for his best scoring rate against any NHL opponent.
• In his last six visits to Nashville, Jeff Skinner has recorded six points (4+2).
• Zemgus Girgensons has three points (1+2) in his last four visits to Nashville.

Amerks hang on to beat Utica

Watch: Youtube Video
From Amerks.com's Game Recap:
The Rochester Americans (19-11-0-0) jumped out to a 7-2 lead halfway through the second period against the first-place Utica Comets (19-4-3-0) before surviving a late game push and holding on for a 7-6 win in a scoring frenzy Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
With a career-high four-point outings from both Jack Quinn (1+3), who made his NHL debut Wednesday night with the Buffalo Sabres, and Oskari Laaksonen (0+4), the Amerks picked up their 10th win on home ice, which ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Brandon Biro (1+2) and Casey Fitzgerald (0+2) both chipped in multi-point efforts. Matej Pekar, Linus Weissbach, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Mason Jobst, and Mitch Eliot all scored in the win as well.
Goaltender Mat Robson (3-1-0) made 23 saves in his fourth appearance of the season for Rochester. Robson was recalled on Wednesday morning ahead of tonight's contest following the recalls of Michael Houser and Aaron Dell to the parent Buffalo Sabres.
With the win, Rochester has won three straight games to even the season-series with the Comets at 3-3-0-0 through the first six meetings. Overall, the Amerks have also earned 11 victories in their last 15 games.
Dating back to the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Rochester has collected at least one point in 33 of the last 51 games against Utica, going 26-18-3-4 over that span.