Sharpen Up | Sabres return home to kick off ‘WinterFest’ at KeyBank Center on Tuesday 

The Buffalo Sabres have returned home from their three-game road trip, which saw the team go 1-2 with losses to Colorado and Arizona and a 5-2 win over the NHL-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

Zach Benson tallied the game-winning goal and added an assist in Vegas while Casey Mittelstadt (2+1), Dylan Cozens (1+2), and Alex Tuch (1+1) each recorded multi-point nights.

Goaltender Devon Levi made 33 saves in the victory to improve to 3-0-1 since being recalled from Rochester on Dec. 5. The 21-year-old has now stopped 114 of 121 shots in his last four starts for a save percentage of .942.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Sabres’ three-game week.

WINTERFEST

The Sabres are hosting four uniquely themed games over the next four home contests to celebrate WinterFest. The special holiday celebration kicks off Tuesday when Buffalo welcomes Columbus to KeyBank Center.

Each game will have its own seasonal theme. The games are as follows:

Tuesday, Dec. 19 vs. Columbus – Woo-ville

Thursday, Dec. 21 vs. Toronto – North Pole

Wednesday, Dec. 27 vs. Boston – Holiday Rewind

Saturday, Dec. 30 vs. Columbus – Winter Wonderland

The first 10,000 fans in attendance for each game will receive a unique holiday-themed poster. Come to all four contests and collect all four posters, which combine to create one wintery Sabres scene.

For more information on each game, click here.

BACK IN BLACK AND RED

Hoping to see the Sabres in their black and red third jerseys? Well, here’s your chance!

Buffalo will be wearing its goathead jersey this Tuesday against the Blue Jackets as well as next Wednesday versus the Boston Bruins.

The Sabres have posted a 12-2-2 record while wearing their black and red jerseys and have outscored opponents 68-45 in that span.

Secure your seats today!

INJURY UPDATES

Jordan Greenway took the ice during the team’s morning skate last Friday in Vegas and is nearing a return to the Sabres’ lineup. The forward has missed the past eight games with an upper-body injury.

Prior to his injury, Greenway was averaging over three minutes of shorthanded ice time per game. He ranks third on the team with 63:59 of shorthanded ice time in 21 games this season.

Jeff Skinner, who was placed on injured reserve last Thursday due to an upper-body injury he sustained against the Colorado Avalanche, is progressing. Granato and staff will be keeping an eye on Skinner’s progress each day.

“His injury, you’re looking to see how he feels each day,” Granato said prior to Friday’s game. “I just texted with him this morning and he said, ‘Better today.’ So, he’s gotten better each day, which is good. Hopefully all issues resolve shorter than later, but he’s progressing nicely.”

The Sabres are also looking forward to Jack Quinn’s return as the forward has been practicing with the team while he takes the next steps in his ongoing recovery from offseason surgery to repair an injured Achilles. While there is currently no set timeline for his return, the 22-year-old is preparing himself to get back to game speed.

ON THE FARM

1. Jiri Kulich continues to produce for the Rochester Americans with 22 points (16+6) in 22 games so far this season.  

The 19-year-old tallied three goals during the Amerks’ three-game road trip this past weekend, including both the game-tying and game-winning goals in Rochester’s 3-2 overtime win over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday.

Isak Rosen assisted on the game-winning tally as the Amerks improved to 21-3-2-1 when Kulich and Rosen each record at least one point in the same game, dating back to last season.

2. Forwards Matt Savoie and Scott Ratzlaff were named to Canada’s roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship last Wednesday, joining Kulich (Czechia), Noah Ostlund (Sweden), Anton Wahlberg (Sweden), and defenseman Maxim Strbak (Slovakia) as Sabres prospects who have been officially named to their countries’ rosters.

Defenseman Norwin Panocha is part of Germany's preliminary roster, but the team's final 23-man roster has not been released yet. 

The tournament will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Stay tuned to Sabres.com for updates as the tournament kicks off.

PHOTO GALLERIES

CONTENT CORNER

Check out our latest episode of Embedded, which goes behind the scenes with Kyle Okposo, his family, friends, and teammates as they celebrate his 1,000th NHL game. 

Then watch our Hometown Heroes feature on FeedMore WNY.