Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Wild

Rasmus Dahlin has already braced himself for the Sabres' upcoming schedule, a grueling stretch of 13 games in 22 days that begins tonight against the Minnesota Wild.
"You know it's coming, and you've just got to prepare, fill your fridge up and get your bed ready because it will be game, eat, sleep, game, eat, sleep," Dahlin said. "It's going to be a hard month but a challenge. We've just got to make sure we're hot because then we can ride on the wave a little bit."
The Sabres have been riding the wave of late, having won seven of their last eight games entering tonight. The meeting with the Wild begins a four-game homestand at KeyBank Center.

Tickets for tonight are on sale now.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drops scheduled for 7 on MSG and WGR 550. Kevyn Adams will join Brian Duff and Martin Biron on the pregame show.
Here are five things to know.
### 1. The lineup
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the first goaltender off the ice and is expected to start in goal.
Here's the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:
| January 7 vs. Minnesota | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch | | 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 22 Jack Quinn | | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 17 Tyson Jost | 71 Victor Olofsson | | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 21 Kyle Okposo | | | | | | LD | RD | G | | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | | 25 Owen Power | 38 Kale Clague | 41 Craig Anderson | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | | | | | |
### 2. Jokiharju joins the team
Henri Jokiharju was a full participant in the morning skate, his first on-ice session with the team since he sustained a lower-body injury on December 9. Jokiharju had previously been on the ice for rehab skates with skating development coach Mike Ansell.
Sabres coach Don Granato said Jokiharju could return to the lineup before long.
"If everything goes well, we might be looking at a week," Granato said.

3. Love for Damar
The Sabres will be taking the ice at home for the first time since Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in Cincinnati last Monday. The Sabres wore T-shirts that read "Love For 3," a reference to Hamlin's jersey number, as they arrived for their game the following night in Washington.
Hamlin has since made remarkable strides in his recovery. He was even able to FaceTime into the Bills' team meeting and speak to his teammates on Friday.
Given the progress, tonight's game could double as an emotional gathering for a community that has spent the last week rallying behind Hamlin.
"We've obviously talked a lot about it amongst the group, with individuals," Granato said. "It's obviously been a topic of conversation in our community. I know that our guys, as I've mentioned many times, are very proud of being in this community."

4. Vote Sabres
Tage Thompson was selected Wednesday as the Sabres' representative for the NHL All-Star Game, though he may not have to go alone.
Voting is open to select the final two skaters and one goaltender for the Atlantic Division roster, with fans able to submit up to 10 ballots every 24 hours through January 17.
Dahlin is one obvious candidate to join Thompson in Sun Rise. He ranks third among NHL defensemen and first in the Eastern Conference in both points and average ice time. Thompson's linemates Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, meanwhile, are both enjoying career years averaging over a point per game.
"Hopefully by the time that game's played we see another Sabre, at least another Sabre in there," Granato said.
### 5. Scouting the Wild
Minnesota is 8-2-0 in its last 10 games, including wins in its last two against St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in goals (22), assists (25), and points (47). He was selected as the Wilds' representative for the All-Star Game on Wednesday.
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in goal tonight. He's 13-8-1 with a .904 save percentage.