Sharpen Up: February 10, 2022 | Sabres back in action with home game

For the first time since January 22, the Buffalo Sabres will play a home game.
They'll take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 7 p.m. at KeyBank Center. Tickets are on sale now.
Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG, where Rick Jeanneret will join Brian Duff and Martin Biron. Faceoff is at 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray have the call.
Here's what you need to know.

Yesterday's practice

From the Practice Report:
Casey Mittelstadt practiced Wednesday wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, a positive step in his return from an upper-body injury.
Sabres coach Don Granato said there is no definite timetable for when Mittelstadt will return to the lineup. The forward was listed as week to week on Tuesday.
Mittelstadt had surgery to repair an upper-body injury on Dec. 10. He returned to the lineup on Jan. 25 and played three games before exiting after the first period in Colorado on Jan. 30.

"It was a bigger level operation, I guess, that I had so there's gonna be some complications and more than anything just working through it," Mittelstadt said.
"It sucks, but it is what it is. You wake up, keep going and confidence is going to get back to where it needs to be and when it is, I'm going to be ready to go."

Dustin Tokarski will start Buffalo's home game against Columbus on Thursday, Granato announced. Craig Anderson will start the following game in Montreal on Sunday.
The Sabres opened the season with a tandem of Anderson and Tokarski, both of whom returned from long absences during the team's three-game road trip ahead of the All-Star break. Anderson had missed nearly three months with an upper-body injury. Tokarski missed over a month due to lingering effects of COVID-19.
The team reassigned goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Rochester yesterday evening.
Check out the line combinations and D pairs from practice here.

Tonight's matchup

From the Game Notes:
• This is the second of three meetings between the Sabres and Blue Jackets this season.
• Last meeting: Columbus defeated Buffalo 7-4 in Buffalo on Nov. 22, 2021.0
• Next meeting: Sunday, Feb. 20 in Columbus.
• The Sabres are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games against the Blue Jackets; 5-5-0 at home.
• This is the 37th game all-time between Buffalo and Columbus; Buffalo has a 14-18-4 series record.
• The Sabres are 9-10-1 at home against the Blue Jackets all-time.

• Since making his Sabres debut on Dec. 29, Sabres forward Alex Tuch has recorded 13 points (5+8) in 13 games, including nine points (4+5) in his last eight contests.
• Only two players in franchise history have ever had more points than Tuch in their first 13 games for the team after being acquired via trade: Doug Gilmour, 21 points (3+18) and Pat LaFontaine, 18 points (8+10).
• Jeff Skinner (13 points, 7+6) is one of two Sabres other than Tuch (Ryan O'Reilly) to record 13 points through their first 13 games after being acquired via trade.
• Gilmour (22 points, 3+19), LaFontaine (18 points, 8+10) and Skinner (16 points, 9+7) are the only players to have 14 or more points through their first 14 games for the Sabres after being acquired via trade.
• In their last 18 games against Columbus, the Sabres are 16-for-51 (31.4 percent) on the power play.
• Buffalo has not allowed a power-play goal to the Blue Jackets in the last three meetings between the two clubs.
• Tage Thompson has 14 points (4+10) in his last 14 games played, including seven points (2+5) in his last six contests.
• Thompson has 20 points (12+8) in 21 home games this season, including a point in each of his last eight games at KeyBank Center (4+4).
• In his last 14 home games dating back to Nov. 6, Jeff Skinner has recorded 14 points (8+6).
• Skinner has 16 points (7+9) in his last 17 games against the Blue Jackets, including six points (3+3) in seven games as a member of the Sabres.
• Skinner's 23 points (12+11) in 30 career games against Columbus are the most by any current Sabres player.

• Rasmus Dahlin has posted eight assists in seven career games against the Blue Jackets, including at least one assist in each of his last four meetings (0+6).
• His 1.14 points career per game against Columbus trail only his career output against Vancouver (1.25 P/GP) for his highest per-game total against any NHL opponent.
• Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson both have a point in each of their last three games against Columbus (3+1).

• In his only career game against the Blue Jackets on Nov. 22, Dylan Cozens scored a goal and added an assist

Power, Levi make Olympic debuts today

Owen Power and Devon Levi are representing Canada at the Beijing Olympics, with the men's tournament running through Sunday, Feb. 20.
Read more about the opportunity for the two Sabres prospects here.
Canada plays Germany at 8 a.m. today to open the preliminary round.

Amerks top Penguins

Watch: Youtube Video
From Amerks.com's recap of last night's game:
The Rochester Americans (23-15-2-1) scored three unanswered goals and used a 32-save effort from goaltender Aaron Dell to defeat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (18-18-2-3) by way of a 3-1 score Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
Rookie forwards JJ Peterka (1+1) and Brandon Biro (0+2) each turned in a multi-point effort for the Amerks, who have earned points in 18 of their last 28 games dating back to Nov. 19.
Brett Murray scored his ninth goal of the season while notching his fourth point (3+1) over his last four games before former Penguin Ethan Prow tallied the eventual game-winning goal 7:01 into the third period.
Dell matched a career-best mark as he improved to 7-1-0 by making 32 saves of the 33 shots he faced. The veteran netminder posted a previous record in the 2014-15 season as member of the Worcester Sharks. In seven of his eight appearances this season, he has made 25 or more saves while also averaging 30 shots-against.
With the win, Rochester's seventh straight versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since the start of the 2017-18 season, completed the season-sweep against the Penguins for the fourth straight year. Rochester has outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 35-13 over that span.
The Amerks embark on a season-long five-game road swing beginning on Friday when they visit the Providence Bruins for a 7 p.m. contest. All of the action from the Dunkin' Donuts Center will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Read more here.

Today in Sabres history

1980: George "Punch" Imlach, Roger Crozier and Frank Christie become the first three members of the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.