Sharpen Up: May 9, 2022 | Draft Lottery, AHL playoffs and more

What offseason?
There is plenty to watch this week in Sabreland - two potential selections in the NHL Draft Lottery, a Calder Cup playoff run for the Rochester Americans, and the beginning of the IIHF World Championship included.
We'll cover all of it. Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead.

The lottery

The NHL Draft Lottery is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+. Sabres fans have twice as many reasons to tune in.
The lottery will determine Buffalo's selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. There are five possibilities for where that pick will fall: 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th, and 11th.
It will also determine whether Buffalo receives a pick from Vegas this year or next. The Sabres acquired a conditional first-round pick from the Golden Knights as part of the return for Jack Eichel in November. There are two possibilities:
• If Vegas wins a lottery selection and moves into the top 10, the Sabres will receive an unprotected first-round pick from the Golden Knights in 2023.
• If the Golden Knights do not win a lottery selection, the Sabres will receive their pick in 2022 (16th overall).
In other words, the Sabres could have two picks in the top 16 after Tuesday.
Check back on Tuesday morning for a full Draft Lottery primer.

Amerks take on Utica

The Amerks swept their best-of-three playoff series with the Belleville Senators with a pair of overtime victories. Arttu Ruotsalainen scored the winning goal in Game 1, putting the finishing touch on a three-goal comeback at Blue Cross Arena. Brett Murray tallied the clincher in Game 2 on Friday.
The series win was Rochester's first since 2005.

Rochester will take on Utica, the top seed in the North Division, in a best-of-five series beginning Tuesday night. Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) will be played at Blue Cross Arena.
Find more information, including the full series schedule, here.

Worlds begin Friday

The IIHF World Championship begins Friday in Finland. Five Sabres are currently confirmed to be participating: coach Don Granato (United States), forwards Rasmus Asplund (Sweden) and John Hayden (United States), and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin (Sweden) and Henri Jokiharju (Finland).
Canada will announce its roster this week.

Roswell Park to host prostate cancer early detection event

The Sabres are teaming up with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to host a prostate cancer early detection event at KeyBank Center this Wednesday, May 11 from 3 to 7 p.m.

Those who attend will meet Sabres alumni and have the opportunity to tour KeyBank Center in addition to receiving a free check for prostate cancer from the experts at Roswell Park.
Find more information on eligibility and how to register here.

ICYMI

Here is a rundown of some of the highlights from the last week.

Adams, Granato meet the media

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato addressed the media last Tuesday, offering both a look back on what was a season of growth and insight into the coming offseason.
Watch both press conferences below.

Find a preview of the offseason, including key dates to know and comments from Adams and Granato, here.

Okie's letter to fans

Sabres alternate captain Kyle Okposo penned an open letter to Sabres fans in which he revisited his favorite moments from the season and touched on the direction of the franchise.
Read Okposo's letter here.

Sabres thank their moms

Sabres players Tage Thompson, Anders Bjork, Casey Fitzgerald, Victor Olofsson, and Mattias Samuelsson spoke about how their mothers paved the way for their NHL careers in a Mother's Day message presented by Northtown, which you can watch below.